Repairing the Broken
by Jem Kallop
Summary: Joey works for a tech support company. Seto Kaiba's laptop breaks, and he is more than surprised to find his old adversary on the other end of the helpline. Chaptered puppyshipping, rated for bad language. Post-canon. Expect fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I haven't written anything fanfiction-y in ages, but recently I've fallen slightly in love with puppyshipping. The result is this fic. Hope you enjoy: it's merely a little (10 chapters) tale about how Kaiba and Joey meet again after the events of the anime series (English dub). And sorry to anyone who follows me for my thiefshipping – no sign of that here I'm afraid. This one is all about the puppyship, so if you don't like that, you probably shouldn't stick around~. If you do like puppyshipping, however, this fic should be for you! – Jem**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! but Kazuki Takahashi does. Go and support him. Also, I know nothing about computers.**

It was a quiet day in the small back room where Joey worked. His colleagues were either locked away in their own, equally tiny, cubicles, or out working at the front desk for the rare few customers who actually bothered to enter the IT shop rather than just calling for help. It was a slow day, too. Joey didn't mind this too much. He was currently leaned almost horizontally in his revolving office chair, his feet up on the desk, with a bag of crisps tucked in at his side. One hovered half-way to his mouth as his gaze remained vacantly fixed on the computer screen. His earpiece was also hanging half-off his face, but he either hadn't noticed yet or couldn't be bothered to set it right. It wasn't like any customers were going to call this late, anyway.

Joey had been working as an IT consultant for almost a year now. He was one of the few members of his year at Domino High who had actually remained in the city, rather than going off to study in exciting places. Studying had never really suited Joey. He was much more comfortable here, lounging around in a tiny back room office doing a job he was half-decent at, than attempting to twist his brain around maths problems or staring dumbly at the laws of physics. Perhaps playing card games for the majority of your school career didn't lead to a decent education, after all.

"Hey, Joey?"

Joey jumped wildly, the bag of crisps slipping out from his fingers and spilling crumbs everywhere. His feet slid sideways off his desk, bringing with them a mug, several sheets of scribbled paper, and his keyboard and mouse along with all their dangling wires. The mug shattered against the sticky lino floor with a harsh _crack_.

Acting as if nothing had happened, Joey ran one hand through his unruly blond hair and summoned up his usual easy grin as he turned to the door. It was Karin, the brunette owner of the small IT shop. "Yeah, boss?"

The figure in the door raised an eyebrow at the mess, but declined to comment any further. "Have you sent me your record sheet yet?"

"…Record sheet…?"

"The one I asked you for over an hour ago." Karin leaned in the doorway and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes.

Joey continued to blink vacantly at her for several minutes. "Eh … you might have to help me out here…"

"You are actually hopeless." She strode over to his computer and immediately clicked off his tab, shaking her head.

"Hey, I blame my boss."

"Watch it." She sent him a glare over her shoulder, but his grin was impossible to remove from his face.

Joey sat up a bit straighter and sent her a mock-salute. "Gotcha. What report was I meant to send you?"

"Never mind; I'll just find it myself." Karin turned back to his computer and clicked open his files, scanning through them quickly.

Joey huffed a little. "I think this is invasion of my privacy."

"And I think that you should watch your words, or your boss might just get fed up of your bullshit."

Joey winced, placing one dramatic hand over his heart and tossing his head back theatrically. He sniffed. "Hey, you're wounding me here!"

"Good." She soon straightened up again, and when she turned to face him, there was a giant smirk plastered across her bright red lips.

Joey made a face back at her. He leaned forwards and gave her a good-natured shove towards his door. "There, you got your file, so get outta my office."

"I'm docking your wages." She smacked his hand away from her and stalked over to the door.

"That would bother me if you ever actually paid me."

She turned in the doorway and gave him another glittering smirk, blue eyes narrowing. "You're lucky I even give you a desk. Which is filthy, by the way."

Joey shrugged. "'S only me that uses it."

"Thank God." Karin gave a shudder. She cast a slightly disgusted glance around the tiny office, noting the many fast food containers littered about every available surface. "I'm not sure anyone else would survive."

"Alright, now really, get outta my office." Joey picked up his (now empty) crisp packet and aimed it threateningly at her.

Karin held both hands to her mouth. "Oh no! God forbid I get attacked by the dumb blond and his litter!"

The crisp packet hit the door just as she slammed it shut behind her.

Joey rolled his eyes good-naturedly, pulling his chair closer into his desk. He was pretty sure he heard the crunch of various weeks' mess under the wheels. Karin had a point – it was a bit of a tip in here – but Joey honestly didn't see much purpose in clearing up after himself. It wasn't like his home was any different. He did glance mournfully at the mass of crumbs covering his desk, though. That was a perfectly good snack gone to waste.

Leaning over, Joey rescued his keyboard and mouse and clicked back open the tab Karin had closed on him. He was half-way through watching his favourite player, and he reckoned he had just enough time before it hit 5pm to get through the remainder of this duel. It was getting close; the underdog had just pulled an incredible trap card manoeuvre on his opponent, and Joey had yet to see that player get beaten. He settled himself comfortably back in his seat, propped his legs back up on the desk, and clicked 'play'.

Seto Kaiba did not enjoy getting disturbed.

He had been mid-flow, fingers busily tapping away at his laptop's keyboard as the sun outside the vast glass walls of his office began to sink steadily towards the horizon. The air started to turn chilly, an unsettling quiet laying thickly through the building as his underlings began to go home for the evening, but none of this even registered within Kaiba's skull. His head was filled with numbers and symbols, profit margins and graphs and charts, and he didn't have time for the sun to be going down. Thankfully, his office lighting was wired to come on just as dusk began to creep into the large room, and just in time too. Having to squint at the light from his laptop was getting annoying.

Just as he clicked onto the next page of the current document, an unusual whirring sound came from the laptop's fan. He barely paused, merely flicking it an annoyed glance to shut up and stop bugging him before his fingers were back to their fast-paced typing. However, another few minutes later, the laptop gave a loud sputter.

Seto paused. He was fairly sure it wasn't supposed to do that.

After another moment or two, nothing else seemed to be going on, so he began scrolling through the document again, adding in the latest figures. He was halfway through inputting the data when the laptop screen suddenly went black.

"What?" Seto narrowed his eyes angrily before reaching for his mouse and clicking.

Nothing happened.

He waved the mouse around for a while.

Still nothing.

"You have got to be kidding me," Seto mumbled to himself. He pressed the power key and held it down, looking for some sort of response, but there was still no sign of life from the deadened-black screen. All he could see was his annoyed reflection glaring mockingly back at him.

He proceeded to press every key possible on the laptop, trying a few random combinations, but there was still no response. He shook it, and a worrying kind of rattle sounded from somewhere deep within the laptop's innards. Seto put it down after that, and decided he probably shouldn't touch it again.

Then, he sat back in his tall, black office chair, and glared at the black screen. Perhaps willing it to work would get his document back up.

After several more minutes, when it became clear to an ever-more-impatient Seto that his laptop was not going to miraculously turn back on by itself, he reached for his office phone. He punched in the number for his secretary and snapped angrily at him to get him a tech support number, merely praying that one would still be open at this time. He needed that document in time for a meeting the next day.

A few minutes later, his office's automatic door slid open and his secretary walked in with an outstretched piece of paper. Seto snatched it off him without bothering to murmur a 'thank you' and grabbed his phone again, using the code for an outside line before entering the tech support helpline. The office lights were blaring at full power now, the sun truly setting. It had to be almost 5pm, but that didn't strike Seto as particularly late. His office hours would continue much further on into the night. As he waited for the call to connect, he returned to his staring contest with the stubbornly black screen of his laptop. If he just glared hard enough…

"Lina Tech Support, how may we help?"

Seto cleared his throat. "My laptop isn't working."

"And what seems to be the problem with it?"

Seto's brows furrowed. "I have no idea, or I wouldn't be calling, would I?"

"Well, what isn't it doing?"

Seto shrugged before he realised that the other person couldn't see him. "Oh. The screen's gone black."

"Have you dropped it anywhere recently?"

"Of course not. What sort of idiot do you take me for?"

"Hold on." The person went quiet for a few moments before returning. "You're in luck – one of our consultants is still in the office. I'll just patch you through."

Seto didn't answer as the line gave a _click_ and some bland music began echoing out of the phone. He held it a little away from his ear and resumed pressing every random button on his laptop that he could easily reach. It still stubbornly refused to acknowledge his existence, though, and the screen remained utterly black.

Finally, the music stopped, and a new voice answered. A new, weirdly familiar voice. A voice with that same stupid accent that Kaiba remembered from his school days. "You're through to a consultant, what seems to be the problem?"

…It couldn't be…

"Hello? What's ya problem?" The voice sounded again, and now Seto was sure. No one else's tone so easily grated against him, and this one sounded just as vacant as it ever had.

Seto leaned back in his chair and allowed a slow smirk to tug at his lips. He was going to enjoy this. It wasn't often one of his favourite verbal punching bags just wandered back into his life, and this opportunity was too good to pass up. "Well, if it isn't the mutt come back to serve his master."

There was a long pause before the voice answered again, and this time Seto could swear it crackled a little. "…Kaiba?!"

"Well done, you identified one of the most well-known voices in Domino."

"Wait … what?!" Wheeler actually sounded shocked. "How in the hell are you calling me?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "It's really very simple. I picked up my phone, put in the numbers, and miraculously here we are."

"I know that, ya great lump. I mean why _me_?"

"It isn't like I wanted to, believe me, _Wheeler_." Seto allowed as much disdain to drip into his monotone as he could.

"Then what the hell are ya playing at?"

"My laptop broke." Seto sent it another cursory glare. "But if I'd known all I'd get was _you_ , I wouldn't have bothered calling."

"Watch it, moneybags." Wheeler sounded irritated. "What's wrong with your laptop?"

"I'm not going to bother explaining. I don't want to hurt your head."

"You rang the _tech support line_. So just tell me what the matter is."

Seto snorted. "Are you trying to tell me you actually understand technology?"

"This is my job, idiot." Seto could practically hear Wheeler puffing himself up with pride. He bet his chest was sticking out in just that annoying way it always did when he got falsely arrogant. "So what's the problem?"

"Isn't there somebody else?" Seto's nostrils flared, his tone irritated.

"Naa, they've all gone home for the night. You're lucky I'm still here."

"I wouldn't class this as _lucky_." Seto growled. "But I suppose you'll have to do. The screen's gone black."

"The screen of your laptop?"

"No, of my giant winged pony."

There was a pause. "…I'm detecting some sarcasm there, rich boy."

"Oh really?" Seto sneered.

There was a slight strain in Wheeler's voice when he replied. He better not be laughing. "Alright, have you tried pressing the power button?"

"That's the one with the red flashing light, right?"

"…Ah…" Wheeler's tone shifted slightly. "What red flashing light?"

"The one over the power button."

"…Ah…" There was a pause. "Kaiba, you'd better bring that laptop into me."

Seto's voice went flat. "Excuse me?"

"I'm gonna need to look at it."

"There's no way I'm entrusting my laptop to the likes of _you_ ," Seto growled. "I'd sooner have a monkey poking at it."

"Hey, I know an insult when I hear one." Wheeler's voice was growing louder. "And that was definitely an insult."

"Your intellectual prowess never ceases to amaze me."

"Just shut up and bring me the laptop, rich boy."

Seto glared before he realised that Wheeler couldn't actually see him. "If this is some sort of trick…"

"Oh trust me, there's a lotta better stuff I could be doing with my time."

Seto paused for another few moments, considering. He loathed the thought of having anything to do with any of Yugi's dumb friends again, especially _Wheeler_ , but he needed his laptop for the meeting the next day. He doubted anywhere else would be open at this time, due to the unreasonably short hours most people on this lazy planet seemed to work.

"Kaiba?"

"Alright, fine," Seto snapped. "Tell me the address."

Once Kaiba had hung up, Joey sat staring dumbfounded at his computer screen for a few more moments. He had logged the call in, but it was still really disconcerting to see the name _Seto Kaiba_ flashing back at him, typed out neatly in black and white. That wasn't a name he thought he would ever have to come back into personal contact with again. Sure, Kaiba's name was still everywhere around Domino – Kaiba Corp. was only growing in size, it seemed – but Joey usually made a point of flicking off the TV or swearing at the news whenever his stupid pointy face showed up. He had never quite got over all the insults Kaiba had flung at him over the years. For some stupid reason, it still grated at Joey that he'd never actually won a duel against the man.

Except now, it seemed that Kaiba needed something off Joey. And boy, was Joey going to play it out for as much as he could get.

Pushing his chair back quickly, Joey got to his feet and exited his tiny office, moving out behind the front desk. The rest of the IT shop opened before him, the various displays of all the latest gadgets flashing invitingly up at him. There were no customers left, only Karin leaning over the till.

"Hey, don't close up yet." Joey leaned his elbows on the counter with a dramatic sigh.

Karin barely spared him a glance. "What?"

"Last minute customer."

"Oh." She pressed one last button before turning to face him properly, tucking an escaped strand of brown hair behind her ear. "Want me to handle it?"

"Naa, I've got this one." Joey's eyes gleamed and he grinned savagely.

Karin arched a questioning brow at him. "…Should I ask?"

"Oh, it's only an old school rival." Joey rubbed his hands together with a slightly gleeful chuckle. "Haven't seen him in years."

"Well, try not to murder him in my shop. I don't want to clean up the carpet again." Karin turned back to the till, pulling out the stock markups.

"Hey, no promises, man." Joey leaned his chin on his palm, entertaining himself by blowing the strands of blond hair out of his eyes and watching them fall back into place. It was silent apart from the few quiet whirrings of technology, and the occasional flashing lights of the display items disturbing the dim space of the small tech shop. Joey allowed his thoughts to drift back to Kaiba. It had been really quite a shock to hear his voice from the other end of the line, so much so that Joey had accidentally knocked the contents of his desk onto the ground again. Kaiba sounded exactly the same as he had when they left school over two years ago. The insults were the same, and so was that old familiar sarcastic tone, somehow so expressive despite Kaiba's apparent inability to speak in anything other than a monotone. It brought back memories of endless scraps, constant bickering, and playground fights. It also reminded Joey of a slightly happier time, back when all his friends were only a short walk away.

Not that _Kaiba_ had ever counted as a friend.

The tinkle of the bell above the shop door made Joey lift his head, and sure enough, Seto Kaiba was standing in the doorway. He looked just the same as he had at school – still wearing that stupid long coat, his brown hair still cut short and styled to perfection, but Joey didn't remember his eyes being quite that piercing shade of blue, or his stare being quite so sharp. The years must have dulled his memory. And had Kaiba always been that tall?

The CEO cast a disinterested look around the shop, his nose wrinkling slightly. "Is this dump honestly where you work?"

"Hey!" Joey glared, and he felt Karin tense a little beside him.

She picked up her lists and glared over the counter. "Excuse me? What did you just call my – OH!" With a startled exclamation, the lists clattered out of Karin's hands and scattered sheets of paper went flying across the floor. Her eyebrows shot up. "Is that Seto _Kaiba_?!"

Kaiba just barely spared her a glance, but Joey snorted before he could say anything. "Yeah, the one and only. Richest bastard I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

" _Joey_!" Karin's tone sounded vaguely incredulous.

Kaiba's attention instantly snapped back to Joey and his intense blue eyes narrowed. "I could say the same for you, _Wheeler_ , only I could hardly call you rich."

"Why you-" Joey leaned forwards, his grip tightening on the counter.

"No closer, please. I don't want to get mutt germs."

"Don't you _dare_ call me that again, moneybags!"

"Why? Judging by your behaviour it's just as fitting as it always was."

"That does it!" Joey made to vault over the desk, his palms pressing flat, but an annoying grip on his arm stopped him. He snarled, keeping his angry glare trained straight on Kaiba's stupid, arrogant face. "Let me go, Karin!"

"Not until I'm sure you aren't going to maul the customer." Karin's tone was surprisingly calm. She glanced between the two of them, keeping a tight grip on Joey's arm. The tension between them was palpable; it practically sizzled in the air.

Kaiba, of course, didn't look at her. Rather, his attention was focused solely on Joey. "Keep the mutt restrained."

Karin tugged Joey away with a nod; she still couldn't quite believe that _the_ Seto Kaiba was currently standing in her shop.

" _Kaiba_!" Joey growled, and his accented pronunciation of Seto's name annoyed him just as much as it always had. "If I were you, I'd be careful, or you're never gonna get your stupid computer fixed."

Seto bit back the automatic sharp retort that rose to his lips. As much as he hated to admit it, Wheeler had a point. He honestly did need his laptop to be up and running as per usual by the morning, and he couldn't afford to wound Wheeler to the point where he would no longer be able to fix it. Instead, Seto gave a resigned sigh. "Fine. But I still don't trust you to touch my belongings."

"Oh, please." Joey glared, shaking his arm out of Karin's grip. "Just hand it over."

Seto ignored him. Instead, he directed a glare towards the woman. "Can't you do it?"

"Hmm?" Karin stared at him for a moment before snorting and shaking her head. "Sorry, no can do."

Seto's eyes narrowed.

Joey grinned cheerily. "Sorry, Kaiba, but she's the boss around here. It's me or nothing."

"…I'm almost tempted to walk away."

Joey's grin instantly dropped again and he pointed towards the door. "Go ahead. I'm not gonna stop ya."

Karin elbowed him sharply in the ribs, ignoring Joey's pained yelp, and turned to direct a sunny smile at Kaiba. "What he means is, he's more than happy to take your custom, Mr. Kaiba, sir."

"I've no doubt." Kaiba's voice was rough, but he still slammed his same-as-ever silver briefcase down onto the counter top. He clicked open the clasps and lifted the lid.

Joey instantly perked up again, and he jumped up onto the counter to lean over Kaiba's shoulder. "Hey, is that still full of duel monsters' cards?"

"Get out of my space."

"Heh, alright, spoilsport." Joey leaned back just a tiny amount.

Seto sent him an irritated glare before extracting his laptop from the case and handing it, with great and apparent reluctance, to Joey. Joey took it off him immediately, his hand just brushing Kaiba's in the process, and flipped the lid open. The screen was still an unpromising shade of black.

"Alrighty then, let's have a look at ya." Joey cracked his knuckles expertly before he pressed the power button. Predictably, nothing happened. Joey remained unfazed, however, and moved on to press every key combination he knew in an attempt to get some response out of the thing.

Seto leaned against the counter and watched his every move like a hawk. A tall, thin, long-nosed, pointy-faced hawk. His eyes never left Joey's hands, and his long body remained almost uncomfortably close. Joey hardly seemed to notice him, however.

"Geez, Kaiba, what did you do to this thing?" Joey shook his head and tutted loudly.

"None of your business," Seto snapped.

"Well, whatever it is, it's gonna take a while to put right." Joey shook his head and closed the laptop's lid. "Hard drive's busted."

"Excuse me?"

"And not just that – it isn't waking up _at all_. You didn't spill coffee on it or something, did'ya?"

Seto's lips drew into a thin line. He decided not to deign that question with a response; instead he chose merely to glare.

Joey barely noticed. "It'll take a week, minimum."

"What?" Seto leaned forwards again, his fingers digging into the counter-top.

Joey shrugged. "Sorry, man, but you should take better care of your technology. This thing's been way overused."

"Impossible. I need it by the morning."

Joey snorted. "Then you'll need a new laptop."

Karin immediately perked up again, dropping the papers she was in the process of collecting. She sent Kaiba a bright-eyed stare. "Well, if that's the case, we happen to have several models…"

"No," Kaiba responded flatly.

Joey rolled his eyes and hefted Kaiba's laptop under one arm. "Then you're gonna have to do without for a bit."

"I don't think you understand the meaning of the word _impossible_ , Wheeler."

"And I don't think you get that _it will take a week_ , Kaiba. Want me to spell it out for ya, real slow?"

Seto's nostrils flared. "Don't patronise me."

"Makes a change, doesn't it?" Joey gave him a jaunty grin.

Seto twitched.

"I'll have it back to ya in a week, don't worry." Joey hefted Seto's pride and joy easily under one arm, turning to head back into the shop. "You can come back for it then."

"No." Seto was still watching Joey's every movement. His heart lurched a little every time the laptop so much as wobbled. "I'm coming back tomorrow."

Joey rolled his eyes. "It won't be ready."

"I don't care. I'm coming back tomorrow." Before Wheeler – or anyone else, for that matter – could question the logic behind Seto's stubborn statement, he turned on his heel and exited the shop, coat tails flaring out behind him. The door swung firmly shut behind him.

Joey stood for a few moments, glancing between the laptop in his hands and the door of the shop, before a jovial grin lit his lips. This was going to be _fun_.

 **Before anyone hits me, I don't know anything about computers. All the technology stuff is made up jargon. Please don't use this as a guide to fix your laptop. (Or, indeed, to break it). Should be another update soon, and please, let me know what you think so far~ - Jem**


	2. Chapter 2

**As promised, an update~ Thank you for those lovely reviews, I'm glad there are some people enjoying this story XD You made me very happy**

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! as Kazuki Takahashi still does. He deserves all your praise, not me**

It was well into dusk by the time Joey finally made it home. Serenity was, as ever, waiting for him, stretched out on his couch with one of her favourite magazines open in front of her. She still held it a little closer to her face than normal, a slight squint to her eyes, but other than that there was no sign that anything had ever been wrong with her eyesight. He allowed himself a small smile at that thought. If it wasn't for Yugi lending him the money, he didn't think they would have ever been able to afford her operation. And yes, it was _lending_ – Joey fully intended to pay him back one day.

"Hey, sis." Joey spoke tiredly as he closed the door behind him and chucked his keys away someplace.

"Joey?" Serenity turned her head and grinned. "You're back late – I was getting worried."

"Last minute customer." _And a nightmare customer at that._ Joey shook his head, picking up Serenity's legs and shoving her over so that he could squash in beside her. She made a face at him, but he ignored her in favour of grabbing the TV remote. "How was school?"

"Pretty good," Serenity shrugged. "I prefer what I've been doing at home, though." She tilted her magazine a bit to show him the page she was on.

Joey stared at it blankly before sending her a thoroughly confused look. It was full of the faces of some random guys he'd never seen before in his life. "Eh?"

"It's the newest boy band. They're playing a gig in Domino soon…"

"No." Joey sent her a glare, folding his arms.

Serenity wriggled, flicking some of her hair out of her eyes. "But…"

"Sis, I can barely afford to keep us both fed and housed as it is."

"Well…" Serenity sniffed, widening her eyes up at him. "It is my birthday soon…"

Joey snorted. "I'll get ya a teddy bear, like normal."

"Joey, I'm going to be _seventeen_ , not three."

"Still not too old for a teddy bear." He dodged the magazine that was suddenly rolled up and aiming for his head. It was nice to have Serenity around again. Although most of their childhood had, by necessity, been spent apart, they still bickered as if they had never been separated. In fact, in his head, Serenity often reverted back to her childhood self, and it took him a minute whenever he looked at her to remember that this almost-full-grown young woman was still his baby sister. They had finally convinced their mother to let Serenity move in with him – or rather, Serenity had decided that she'd had enough of being three states away and had simply shown up at Joey's doorstep. He had gladly taken her in, and their mother couldn't afford to take him to court to fight over her guardianship. There was a high chance he could have won, anyway, now that he was twenty and in a stable job. For once, his family's poor background was in Joey's favour – his mother would struggle to pay the legal fees just as much as he would.

After a while, Serenity put down her magazine again to nudge Joey in the arm. "What's for dinner today?"

"Eh…" Joey scrunched his face up, mentally running through what he currently had in the cupboards. He hadn't been able to run to the shop earlier, what with Mr Big-Shot Moneybags Kaiba taking up so much of his time. "Dunno. Oh, wait, is it Tuesday today?"

"Yeah…" Serenity nodded.

"Shit, we're meant to be meeting Tristan at seven."

"Oh, really?" Serenity's eyes lit up suddenly – a little too brightly for Joey's liking.

He glared at her. "Yeah, but don't you and him go doing anything … funny."

"I don't know what you mean." She sent him a sunny smile.

Joey heaved an inward sigh. Trouble was, Serenity probably _didn't_ – for all her talk of growing up, she was still largely innocent. And much as Joey trusted Tristan, he didn't put it past him to take advantage of that fact. At least a bit. "Just don't be alone with him without checking with me first, 'kay?"

"Sure." She grinned before vaulting off the couch and sprinting for her room. "I'm going to change, be ready in five!"

 _Who gets changed just to go for a meal out_? Joey glanced down at his own usually rugged outfit before shrugging. _Women_.

Half an hour later, the two of them were seated at a table in the local burger joint with Tristan opposite them. Joey's childhood friend looked just the same as he always had, if a little leaner – since he had begun studying at the university and therefore paying for his own food, Tristan's diet had shrunk somewhat. He and Joey always made sure to stick to their weekly outing for a meal, though. They were the only two left in Domino City – Yugi had gone to study Archaeology in Egypt, and Téa was away at a dance school. Although they both got in touch regularly, Joey missed the days when they had all been within easy visiting distance.

Speaking of the past…

"You'll never guess who came into the shop today."

"Hmph?" Tristan looked up with a mouthful of burger, tilting his head questioningly at Joey.

"Seto Kaiba!" Joey waved his hands in the air with his fork still attached.

Tristan almost choked. "Wh-what? You're kidding."

"I wish I was."

"But why'd he go to your place?" Tristan put down his burger, deciding that this matter deserved his full attention. At least for a few minutes.

Joey grinned. "His laptop broke. He didn't believe I could fix it, but I'll show him."

"Wait, so you have his laptop now?"

Joey nodded, taking another bite of his burger.

Tristan leaned forward eagerly, rubbing his hands together. "I'll bet there's all sorts of secret codes on there."

Joey's eyes started to gleam a little. "Oh, yeah, I never thought of that…"

"There could even be designs for Kaiba Corp.'s next game!"

"Or a bunch of access codes for his posh-ass building…"

"…Or a secret map for hidden Kaiba treasure!"

Serenity glanced between them both with a slightly nervous smile. "Um, I don't really think that's any of our business…"

"Aw, c'mon sis." Joey was grinning widely now. "This could be a chance in a million!"

"I just don't want you getting in trouble. Isn't there a law against looking through someone's laptop?" Serenity's tone was sincere and her expression a little worried.

Tristan took one look at her face and immediately sided with her. "Yeah, Serenity's got a point, Joey. Plus, it really wouldn't be mature."

Joey glared at him. "It was your idea!"

"Nope. No, it definitely wasn't." Tristan shot Serenity a smile as sickly sweet and sincere as he could muster. She blinked and half-smiled tentatively back.

Joey sent Tristan a very pointed glare and wrapped a protective arm around Serenity's shoulders. "Yeah, well, don't you worry sis. I wouldn't actually go snooping."

"Good." Serenity relaxed.

"…At least not without a very good reason."

"Joey!"

The next day, Joey was back in his tiny poky office to begin another day's work. He took a few simple calls, feet once again up on his desk, until there was enough of a gap for him to begin work on Kaiba's laptop. It sat open on the desk in front of him, its hard black casing sleek and shiny. Although it looked as good as new on the outside – Kaiba probably spray-cleaned it every day, Joey thought with a snort – he knew that its insides left a lot to be desired. It was clearly overused and suffering.

"Alright, ya poor thing, you're in safe hands now." Joey leaned forwards and gently opened the lid, reaching for his tools. "Now, I'm gonna have to take you apart. Sorry about that."

Yes, he had made a habit out of talking to the objects he was working on. He was fairly sure that wasn't a real sign of madness.

After several minutes of poking and prodding, Joey managed to get the casing off. He began to test all of the inner compartments to figure out exactly which bits weren't working, whistling tunelessly as he went.

"Joey, shut that noise up!"

"Go to hell, Karin!"

Several hours later, Joey thought he had narrowed down the problem. A few of the parts would need replacing, but the entire laptop wasn't quite a goner. Joey was sure he'd be able to salvage it. He typed out a list for all the replacement parts he was using, wincing slightly at the bill he was racking up. Not that _Kaiba_ should have any problem paying for it. A couple would need to be ordered in. Joey filled out the order sheet, shoved it into his outbox, and then put Kaiba's laptop away for the time being.

Back to the other mundane jobs he had piling up.

At his lunch break, Joey slid out of his office and wandered over to the old Game Shop that Yugi's grandpa was still running. With Yugi in Egypt, not many people went in to check on the old man, so Joey made sure to go and visit as often as he could. Although he never said it, Joey was pretty sure the old man was grateful.

After an hour or so of reminiscing over the best cards and duels that the two had witnessed, Joey made his farewells and returned to his workstation. Having forgotten to eat, he ordered a pizza, and munched on it whilst taking some further calls. When he was done, he tossed the box onto the growing pile of takeout litter cluttered away in one corner.

As the afternoon dragged on, Joey found his eyes flicking more and more often to the clock in the corner of his screen. Perhaps he could clock off a little early today – after all, he had ended up staying later than normal the evening before…

"Joey! Customer for you!"

Joey huffed slightly at the call from Karin. _There goes that thought, then._ He reluctantly kicked his chair back from his desk and got to his feet, moving out behind the front desk. He ran a hand through his hair and spoke through a yawn. "What can I…"

"Wake up, Wheeler, and you'd better have my laptop."

Joey's eyes instantly snapped open. He was met by the cold, stern glare of Seto Kaiba, who was once again standing in the shop in his stupid long coat, silver briefcase in hand. Joey snorted. "I told ya yesterday, it'll take at least a week."

"I need it before then."

"No can do." Joey shook his head and leaned back against the wall. "What did'ya even do to it? Poor things in a total state."

Seto's lips tightened. "Where is it?"

"Out back."

"Show me."

Joey threw his hands up, his eyes widening. "Whoa, hey now, that's in my office."

Kaiba blew an impatient sigh. "So?"

"So, I can't just let'cha in there."

"And why not?"

"It's … it's my personal work space!" Joey floundered for a moment before nodding determinedly. "No one may enter, on pain of death. Especially stuck-up CEO's."

"Very funny, Wheeler. Now stand aside." Seto walked calmly around the counter and headed for the door marked 'staff only'.

"Kaiba!" Joey scrambled to block his way. "I said no!"

"And I said get out of my way, mutt."

" _Don't_ call me that!" Joey was fuming. He threw his arms out determinedly in front of the door, staring the much-taller Kaiba right in the face.

Seto just glared at him.

"Oh, just let him through, Joey." Karin was immersed in papers. She barely even bothered to send them both a glance.

"I don't need your help." Seto sent Karin a cool stare before turning back to Joey. He reached out, grasped Joey's arm, and pushed him easily out of the way.

Joey went flying into the shelves.

Seto coolly turned the door handle and pushed passed into the offices, ignoring the stares he drew from the other workers back there. His nose wrinkled slightly. The area was dim and dingy, the quarters extremely cramped. He wouldn't even deign to call this an office. It wouldn't be seen anywhere near Kaiba Corp., and if anything of its like wound up close by him, Kaiba would likely have had the place burnt.

"Why you – get outta there – stop ignoring me!"

The sound of Joey's begrudging rants and grumbles echoed in Seto's ears. He ignored them, however, in favour of moving forwards into one of the empty offices. The door was slightly ajar, revealing mounds of litter. The distasteful smell of old pizza wafted out from the musty air.

Seto's eyes narrowed. "Please tell me you don't work here."

"Well, I, uh … that is to say … you might be…" Joey coughed, standing at Seto's elbow. He gave him a push so he could get into his office and attempt to close the door. "Nothing for you to see here…"

Seto reached out a hand and easily held the door open. He met Joey's eyes with a cold, hard stare. "Out."

"This is _my_ office!"

"Out. Now."

" _You_ get out, Kaiba," Joey muttered resentfully, but instead, Seto just forced the door open and strode all the way in. He glared around at the mess; it was even worse from in here. Heaps of pizza boxes and take out cartons took up fully a third of the room, and endless stacks of snack wrappings crowded every available surface. Seto's expression twisted with disdain. "…You live in a pigsty."

"I don't _live_ here, ya idiot." Joey grumbled.

Seto paused for a moment, reminding himself that not everyone spent more time at their place of work than at home. His expression remained stoic, his tone as smooth as ever. "Where is my laptop?"

"Ah…" Joey glanced around, rubbed the back of his neck, and then moved over to his desk. "Should be somewhere around … aha!" He swept a pile of papers, two crisp packets, and a half-finished bar of chocolate onto the floor to reveal the shiny black casing of Seto's laptop. "But I told ya, she ain't gonna work yet."

Seto ignored him. He strode over to Joey's desk, standing right beside him, and glared down at his laptop. Then he glared at the mess surrounding it. Then he glared at Joey hard enough to make him quail.

"Eh…" Joey leaned back a bit, scratching at his head. "…Why're your eyes doing that squinty thing…?"

"No."

Joey blinked. "Wha?"

Seto stared around the office, then back at his laptop, and he shook his head. "No."

"What are ya…" Joey stared, baffled, as Kaiba folded his arms, sent one final glare to Joey, then turned on his heel and exited the shop.

Joey blinked. "…Well, that was weird."

Later that evening, Kaiba finally made it back home. He got out of the car with a short nod to his driver, pausing for just long enough to order his bags to be sent into his study, before he turned and made his way up the stairs to the entrance of the mansion. Lights were flooding out from the living room, bright and warm against the encroaching shadows of the night. Despite himself, Kaiba shivered a little. The air was constantly getting colder.

He slammed the door shut behind him and made straight for his study. Depositing his briefcase on his desk, Seto automatically reached for his laptop, but then he remembered that it was still stuck with that idiot Wheeler for the foreseeable future. He twitched at the memory of the filthy, tiny area that Wheeler passed off as an _office_. There was no way he was allowing his precious laptop to stay in a mess like that.

"Seto?"

Seto turned his head to see Mokuba leaning in the doorway. His expression didn't change. "Yes?"

"When did you get back?" Mokuba stepped further into the study – he was the only one allowed in here except Seto himself – and folded his arms.

"Thirty-three seconds ago," Seto responded dryly.

Mokuba grinned. "Oh. Ok, you're allowed not to have said hello to me yet, then."

"Mokuba, you called me three times today."

"So?" Without another word, Mokuba pushed his way around the desk and wrapped his arms tightly around his older brother's waist. Seto glanced down at him. The slightest hint of a true, proper smile tugged at one corner of his mouth and he lifted one hand, clasping Mokuba's shoulder in return. Although he was now seventeen, the younger Kaiba had never completely outgrown his touchy-feely stage. Seto idly wondered if it was some remainder of all the kidnappings he had once suffered.

"Have you done your homework?" Seto asked after a few minutes.

Mokuba peeked up at him and grinned. "Working on it."

"Then get back to it."

"In a minute." Mokuba made a face and stepped back, flicking his long dark hair over his shoulder. "I want to hear about your day first, Seto."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "Stop procrastinating."

"I'm allowed to be interested in what my big brother is doing!" Quickly, Mokuba jumped up onto Seto's desk chair and folded his arms.

Seto eyed him with an amused tint to his blue eyes. "Funny how your interest is only when there's something else you should be doing."

"I can't help what time you come home." Mokuba shrugged with a cheeky grin.

Despite himself, Seto melted. Mokuba remained his one weakness. He turned back to his briefcase and clipped it open, beginning to sort through the neat piles of files it contained. "Sorry to disappoint, but my day has been very dull."

"What about the plans for the new game?"

"Still in the development stage." _Or they would be, if I actually had my laptop_. Seto's brow furrowed and his eyes glinted dangerously, fingers tightening on the file he was holding. He still couldn't stand the memory of Wheeler's pathetic excuse for an office, and even worse was the thought that his own precious laptop was entrusted to such a pathetic excuse for a _human_. He was going to do something about that.

Mokuba's head tilted curiously. "What's that expression for?"

"Hm?"

"You've got that look on your face that normally means five people are about to get fired."

Despite himself, Seto chuckled. "A good firing probably would help."

"So who's getting it this time?" Mokuba leaned forwards eagerly.

"Unfortunately, no one. This person's job doesn't depend on me."

"Huh." Mokuba frowned. "Explain."

"Don't order me around." Seto turned a page, eyes scanning the rows and rows of numbers.

Mokuba sniffed. "I didn't even know there was anyone in Domino who _didn't_ work for us."

Seto snorted. As delectable as it would be to own the entirety of Domino City, Mokuba knew very well that Kaiba Corp. only owned about a third at least. He placed the file back down on the desk. "If you must know, it's _Wheeler_." His tone twisted around the name with intense distaste.

"Who, Joey?" Mokuba's eyes brightened. "I haven't seen him in forever!"

"Lucky you."

"Seto." Mokuba's tone turned reproachful.

Seto sent Mokuba a cool, intense stare.

Mokuba stared right back and, with great exaggeration, rolled his eyes. "Why are you even dealing with Joey?"

"He's got my laptop."

Mokuba blinked. "…Want me to call the police to get it back?"

"He didn't _steal_ it," Seto scoffed. "That idiot doesn't have enough brain cells to steal from a dog."

Mokuba shook his head. "I don't know what you have against him. He's nice!"

"I don't like 'nice'."

"That explains so much." Mokuba grinned and prodded Seto's side.

Seto sent him a flat stare.

"So why's he got your laptop?" Mokuba leaned back and stretched, completely unfazed by his brother's cold expression.

"It broke and Wheeler's company are fixing it. Can you believe he works for tech support?"

"Seriously?" Mokuba's eyes lit up. "That's cool! Think he'd let me look around his shop?"

Seto paused. He turned his head and frowned at his brother. "Mokuba, you have access to every single bit of technology Kaiba Corp. has ever produced."

"Yeah, but we don't have any repair centres."

"Of course not. There are other minions to do that."

"Sure, but it would be cool to see." Mokuba tucked his legs up under himself and swung the chair around. "How are you coping without a laptop?"

"I'm managing."

Mokuba grinned. "I bet Joey loves having access to all your files."

Seto's grip tightened until his knuckles went white.

Joey collapsed as soon as he got home. He stretched out on his bed, hands behind his head, and groaned loudly. After that asshole Kaiba had come storming into his office, there had been another last-minute phone call sending Joey out to a house. The computer there had been an ancient model, and it took Joey an hour just to figure out what the problem was. As a result, he didn't get home until well into the hours of darkness.

"Joey?" Serenity's voice sounded, accompanied by a soft knock at his door.

Joey merely groaned in response.

The door swung open with a gentle creak. Serenity's familiar scent wafted over to Joey, reminding him of the few days from their childhood when they had been allowed to spend time together. Her soft footsteps approached him cautiously. "You ok?"

"Ehhh." Joey rolled over onto his back and flipped his hair out of his eyes. "I'll be fine."

Serenity expression was full of concern. "You're home really late. I was worried."

"Sorry, sis." He sat up with a groan and rubbed the back of his neck. "Last minute job took ages. I should'a called."

"No, it's fine." Serenity perched on the end of his bed. "You missed Yugi earlier."

"What?" Joey sat up straight, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, he called and said you could ring back whenever you got home."

"Really?" Joey glanced at the time on his phone, rubbing the back of his neck. "Eh, it's kinda late over there now…"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Serenity smiled a little. "And you look like a friend would help right now."

"Yeah…" Joey paused, thought, and shook his head. "Naa, I should let him sleep."

"I really don't think he'd mind." Serenity reached over and plucked Joey's phone from his side, shoving it into his hand, before she stood and exited the room with another smile.

Joey glanced down at the phone in his hand. It had been a long time since he had last had a call from his friend…

Yugi picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, man. Sorry it's so late."

"Joey!" Yugi sounded just as enthusiastic as he ever had, his tone bright. "Serenity said you were working."

"Yeah, stupid last minute job kept me out. How've you been?" Joey settled back onto his bed.

"Great, actually! Went out on my first dig last week. Normally you have to wait until second year, but well, with my experience, they said they'd let me in early."

Joey laughed. "I'da thought you'd had enough of ancient Egyptian relics to last you a lifetime."

"Yeah…" Yugi's tone dipped slightly. "But it's a way of … remembering. You know?"

"Yeah, I know." Joey silently cursed himself. There was a reason none of them ever mentioned the Pharaoh unless Yugi brought him up first.

"Yeah … how's your work? I hope you don't work this late every night."

"No chance!" Joey sniffed. "I would have been home ages ago normally."

"I have to say, I did have trouble imagining _you_ working long hours."

"Hey!" Joey's tone was wounded. "I thought you were my friend, Yug."

"Yeah, which is why I know you." Yugi's voice was light again. They continued to chat for a while, catching up, and when they hung up Joey's mood was much warmer. He dragged himself out of bed for just long enough to warm up something in the microwave before collapsing into sleep for the night.

 **I feel like this was just a long chapter of nothing much. Sorry about that ^_^ Next update coming soon, and I promise the pace picks up. Also, remember, I know absolutely NOTHING about technology, so none of the repair stuff makes sense. XD – Jem**


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope I'm not writing everyone really out of character. It's my first attempt at writing the 'good guys' – I normally live in the world of thiefshipping and villains. Seto and Joey are** **too much fun to continue to ignore, though. Also, just to clarify, Joey and his boss do actually get along (and he does actually get paid for his job). I meant to write them bantering but I don't think it quite came across like that. And this fic does get romantic later, I promise – just takes a while to build their relationship XD Hope you like this chapter~ - Jem**

 **Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is not mine, it's Kazuki Takahashi's, so worship him for his wonderful characters.**

The next day, Seto was decidedly beginning to feel the loss of his laptop.

He tried to pull up some charts to delegate figures to his managers, but then remembered that they were still locked away somewhere in the depths of his digital files. Then he needed to order some more stock, but the references were all on his laptop. And when he attempted to organise a meeting with the stock manager in person, he remembered that he had recently gone completely technical and kept his diary digitally saved on his laptop.

He was about ready to scream, and Seto Kaiba _never_ raised his voice.

His secretary had quickly picked up on Seto's mood, and as such had managed to keep everyone out of his office unless it was absolutely urgent. He had quickly learned that whenever Mr Kaiba's expression looked like a thunderclap, then it usually meant that anyone who got in his way ended up without a job. He himself was not exempt from this.

"Kato!"

The secretary flinched at the sharp shout of his name. He got gingerly to his feet and edged into Kaiba's office, files tucked under one arm. "Yes, sir?"

"Have you got a list of my meetings?"

"I've got preliminary dates but none of them were confirmed."

Seto growled. "They were, but they're on my laptop."

"…Ah." Kato kept his tone delicate. "I can call all the preliminaries and ask them to confirm again?"

"Do that."

Kato bowed out of the office as fast as he could.

After a few more hours, the automatic doors to Seto's office slipped office and the head of Kaiba Corp. himself exited, long trench coat flaring dramatically about his ankles. He strode to the door. "I'm going out. Cancel everything."

Kato blinked. Kaiba _never_ left the office during working hours. "Ah … of course, sir. What time will you be back?"

"Tomorrow." Without so much as a glance in Kato's direction, Seto Kaiba strode out of the office. The clean glass doors slid smoothly shut behind him.

Joey lay back in his office chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Kaiba's laptop was open on his knees. The parts he ordered had come through that morning, so Joey was now attempting to get it to switch on again. His finger hovered gently over the power button. "C'mon, girl, you can do it!"

With his face screwed up in apprehension, Joey pressed the button. At first nothing happened, but then the slightest hint of a faint whirr began to echo from deep within the laptop's innards. The button flashed weakly a couple of times.

"C'mon, c'mon…"

To Joey's immense relief, the screen began to gradually light up.

"Yes! I knew ya could do it." He leaned forwards and gently swiped the touchpad, watching as the screen responded. It lit up with a glaring yellow light, and the loading screen gradually swam into view. Joey punched the air with a whoop, and nearly sent the laptop crashing off his legs and onto the hard lino floor.

"Dammit!" Joey leaned forward just in time to rescue it, his fingers gripping tight onto the smooth, shiny black casing. "Kaiba'd kill me if I dropped ya and you broke again."

"Right you are, Wheeler."

"Eh?" Joey nearly fell off his seat again at the unexpected voice from the doorway. His eyes tightened, his stomach clenching slightly, and he made sure he had a good grip on the laptop before he turned his head.

Sure enough, Seto Kaiba was standing in the doorway. There was a familiar smirk on his face. "Do you make a habit of talking to technology?"

"Shut up." Joey glared, just a tint of red appearing on his cheeks. "And what the hell are you doing here?"

Seto ignored the question in favour of stepping over the threshold. "I hope you haven't always been treating my laptop like that."

"Eh, what I do with your laptop is none of your business." Joey placed it on the desk and pointed proudly at the glowing screen. "'S long as I get it working again, anyway."

Seto's eyes narrowed as he regarded the yellow loading screen. "It doesn't look like it's working to me."

"Trust me, you're lucky it's even still alive after the treatment you gave it." Joey shook his head and reached out to stroke the top of the laptop. "Poor girl's all beat up."

" _Please_ don't grow attached." Seto leaned against the wall, and his smirk grew larger. "I will be taking it back off you."

"Not yet you won't. She's nowhere near ready."

"Hmph." Seto glanced distastefully around the tiny office again, his nose wrinkling. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

Joey turned to send Kaiba a grin. He stood up to at least feel a little taller, not really enjoying the sensation of the much-taller man leaning over him. It made his stomach flip. "I warned ya it would take a week."

"Yes, well, I'm not leaving my laptop in a dump like this."

Joey snorted. "I'm _helping_ you here, Kaiba – remember that."

"Actually, you're just doing your job." Seto's eyes hardened. "As if I'd ever need help from the likes of _you_."

Joey's expression immediately dropped into a scowl. He sat back down and reached for the laptop, hand hovering over the power button. "Well, if ya gonna be like that, I'll just shut it down right now and throw it out for parts."

"Don't you _dare_." Seto's voice turned taught. It was the most expressive Joey had heard him in a while.

The grin was quickly tugging back at Joey's lips as he spun to face Seto again. "Then you'd better start treating me with some respect."

The glare Seto sent Joey probably could have re-frozen an iceberg.

Joey, however, remained unfazed. He leaned back and folded his arms, his wicked grin leaving no doubt as to his enjoyment. It wasn't often that he had the upper hand over Seto, and they both knew it. Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously. The mere thought of needing _Wheeler_ for something was enough to set his blood boiling, his towering pride refusing to bend to such a worthless mutt. Ordinarily, he would have said as much, but his laptop was sitting precariously close to Joey's hand.

Eventually, Seto relented, just a tiny bit. "…Just fix it."

"Ah, so you need me to help you?" Joey was still grinning.

"Don't push your luck, Wheeler." Seto leaned against the wall and pinned Joey with a sharp blue glare. Despite himself, Joey shivered under that intense gaze – it was just plain _weird_ for Kaiba to be staring solely at him. "I'm still not prepared to leave my laptop in this mess."

"Ah…" Joey rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, I ain't moving."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

Joey shrugged. "Then your laptop's staying here."

A cold smile tugged at Seto's lips, and although the expression was rare, it certainly wasn't welcome. "It is. But the mess isn't."

Joey's stare remained blank for several minutes. "…What?"

With a gleam in his eyes that Joey didn't much like, Seto kicked a large plastic bag across the floor. It landed by Joey's feet.

Joey's brown eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did'ya buy me a present?"

"I know it's in your nature to be stupid, Wheeler, but please refrain from it in my presence."

"Hey!" Joey flared up straight away, standing and pointing in Seto's direction. "Watch it, moneybags, or your precious laptop might just go flying outta the window."

"I'm terrified." Seto's face was back to its usual stoic expression, although his eyes were still gleaming with what might have been amusement. He gestured to the bag. "Go ahead. I know you can't resist freebies."

" _Don't_." Joey considered merely chucking the bag back at stupid Kaiba's stupid face, but his curiosity was piqued. He could never recall Kaiba ever _willingly_ giving him something before. He edged a little closer to the bag and nudged it with his toe.

"It isn't going to eat you." Seto's tone was amused.

"I know that, ya airhead." Joey glared. He bent and opened the bag, peering inside. A cloth, a roll of bin liners, and … was that a mop? Duster, polish, several cans of some sort of air freshener … Joey drew back with a scowl. "You've got to be kidding."

"I don't think so." Seto strode across the room, uninvited, and took a seat in Joey's desk chair. "I told you I wasn't leaving my laptop in a mess like this."

Joey glared. "It's _my_ office!"

"And even _you_ shouldn't want to live in a pigsty. Unless you really are an animal."

"Shut the hell up, Kaiba." Joey glared back down at the bag, giving it a stubborn kick.

"No, I don't think I will." Seto spun in the chair to face Joey, his fingers laced together under his chin. He was smirking again. "Get to work."

"Go to hell!"

"I'm not leaving until this place is clean."

Joey folded his arms with a stubborn shake of his head. "Who even let ya in here?"

"Your boss seemed more than happy to comply with my wishes," Seto responded smoothly. "She assured me that she didn't appreciate the state of this room either. Something about it 'scaring off the customers'."

Joey's glare didn't falter. "Just because you're anal about cleanliness doesn't mean I'm gonna change my entire office."

"Then be prepared to have me as a permanent feature."

Joey paused for a second to let that sink in. Seto was leaning back in _his_ chair and looking entirely too comfortable there. His brown hair was undisturbed, still perfectly cropped, and Joey wondered idly if he just woke up with his hair perfectly spiked. Or perhaps he slept that way. The image of Kaiba in a hairnet made Joey chuckle inwardly. Kaiba's blue eyes still pierced confidently into Joey's, and the smirk was just tugging at the corner of his lips.

Joey pulled his gaze away with an effort. "You're not gonna leave, are ya?"

"Nope." Seto crossed his legs and settled back.

"…Screw you." Joey muttered sullenly as he reached for the cleaning spray.

Several hours later, the office was actually looking a lot cleaner. Several bags full of takeout boxes sat by the door ready to be taken out to the bins, and the rather cloying smell of air freshener coated the air thickly, sticking in the back of Joey's throat. He was currently looking very unimpressed, on his hands and knees and scrubbing at the floor. Seto was still sitting in his chair.

"You know, the longer you have me doing this, the longer your laptop is going to take." Joey tried a new tack to add to the endless list of excuses he had constantly thrown Seto's way, to no avail.

Seto merely smirked. "This is providing entertainment enough."

Joey threw a duster at Seto's head, but annoyingly, the CEO caught it before it could hit him. Seto sent it a disdainful look before setting it aside on the desk – _away_ from his laptop.

"You could at least help instead of just sitting there," Joey grumbled as he scrubbed at a particularly stubborn stain on the ground.

"Why would I do such a thing?"

Joey rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you're an asshole." He brushed some hair out of his eyes. "Have cleaners to do this kinda thing for ya, huh?"

Seto frowned in Joey's direction. "Naturally. What do you take me for?"

"Probably got people to cook for you and drive you places and all."

Seto folded his arms. "I don't see what any of this has to do with you."

Joey grinned. "And I don't see what the state of my office has to do with you."

Seto's expression didn't change. "My laptop is here."

"Yeah, and I might just keep your laptop to make you pay for this," Joey sulked.

"Speaking of which," Seto was frowning at his laptop screen, which had now turned an odd green colour, "What's it doing?"

"Eh?" Joey looked up from his position on the floor, and he grinned widely when he saw the screen. "Ah, great, it's finished loading!" He got to his feet, wiped his hands on his knees, and crossed to the chair. He gripped the top of it and spun it forcibly around with Seto still in it, jerking his thumb behind him. "Out."

Seto glared. "Don't order me around, mutt."

"Just get outta my chair." Joey pulled on Seto's arm, and Seto was too surprised to resist. His long limbs unfolded until he was standing again, and quick as a whip, Joey replaced him in the chair. He wiggled his fingers and moved in closer to the desk, carefully beginning to tap on the keys. "Alrighty, let's see what ya look like."

Seto winced at Joey's greasy fingers all over his spotless keyboard, and made a mental note to have the laptop cleaned once it was finally returned to him. He leaned close over Joey's shoulder, one hand resting on the back of the chair so he could closely inspect Joey's every motion. His scent drifted across Joey, blocking out even the stench of the air freshener, and Joey couldn't help but give a soft shiver. He shook his head. Flicking a sidelong glance up at Kaiba's sharp blue eyes, Joey cleared his throat. "Mind giving me a bit of space?"

Seto just barely moved backwards.

Joey huffed, but guessed that was the best he was going to get. He turned back to the laptop and began tapping at the keys again, gently, until finally the screen loaded up a login screen. He grinned and turned to Kaiba. "Told ya! Now I just need your password."

Seto gave a sharp bark of laughter. "You are not getting my password."

"I need access to try and recover your files."

"Well you're not getting – wait, what?" Seto's eyes narrowed and he looked straight at Joey, eliciting another shiver. "What do you mean, _recover_?"

"Well, your files will all have been wiped, so I've gotta-"

" _What_?!" Seto's tone was low and dangerous, and more impassioned than Joey had heard him in a long while.

Joey held back a snort. "You didn't think everything would just automatically be saved, did'ya?"

Seto remained quiet, but his glare could have reawakened the dead.

This time, Joey allowed himself a chuckle. "For the CEO of a technological company, you don't actually know that much about technology."

"Shut it, Wheeler," Seto growled. "I know more than you. I just don't know what to do when it breaks."

Joey mock-gasped. "Can it be, the great _Seto Kaiba_ admits to not knowing something? We'd better watch out, I think that's the first sign of the apocalypse."

Seto's lips twitched upwards. He covered his mouth with his hand to hide the expression, only removing it when he was sure his features were schooled back into their stoic default. Joey was still grinning at him, and Seto found that oddly … not unpleasant. His tone remained sharp, though. "Hand me the laptop."

"Why?"

"So I can enter the password, moron."

Joey shook his head, wagging a finger at Seto. "No can do, rich boy. I'll need access when you're finally outta my hair."

Seto gritted his teeth. "I'll just stay here until you're done."

Joey snorted. "It's gonna take days, so unless you fancy stalking me, not gonna happen."

" _Days_?" Seto's tone was almost crestfallen.

"I warned ya."

Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. He drew in a breath before turning his sharp blue eyes back on Joey. "I can't just give you my passwords. That's top-level access."

"What, ya scared I'm gonna break in and ruin all your plans?" Joey scoffed. "I'm more professional than that."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "I want that in writing."

"…'S'cuse me?"

Seto's foot tapped impatiently. "Writing. Now."

"God, you are so anal." Joey shook his head, but obediently reached for his own computer. He quickly pulled up a document and typed out a bland contract stating he wouldn't use his access to Kaiba Corp. for anything other than to fix Seto's laptop, with Seto dictating every word. Then he printed it off and signed it with a flourish. "Happy now?"

"It'll do." Seto whipped the contract out of Joey's hand and placed it securely inside his briefcase. Then, he reached for a piece of paper and grabbed a pen off Joey's much-cleaner desk. He met Joey's eyes briefly before he started to write. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you to guard these with your life."

"Yeah, yeah, you overdramatic bastard, just gimme the codes."

"…I really hate you sometimes." Seto reluctantly wrote them down and passed the paper to Joey, his movements stiff.

Joey merely snorted. "And here I thought you were in love with me." He shook his head, glancing down at the codes and inputting them quickly into the laptop.

Seto's eyes narrowed and he straightened, folding his arms. "Don't flatter yourself, mutt."

"Call me that again and I'll wipe your files myself."

Seto bit back a nasty retort. Instead, he leaned back over Joey's chair and kept a strict eye on what he was doing, staring at the laptop screen as Joey put in the passwords. Every time he entered a code, another security message flashed up. Joey rolled his eyes. "How badly have you protected this thing?"

"In case it had escaped your notice," Seto responded dryly, "I run a multi-million company. Security is kind of important."

"I'm sure you've never mentioned _that_ before." Joey laid on heavy sarcasm. "You don't shove it in everyone's face, no way."

"Shut up, Wheeler." Seto leaned even closer when Joey finally put in the last password and the desktop finally flashed up. The laptop was still chugging along a lot slower than normal.

Joey grinned and clicked onto the documents folder. His expression slipped a bit when he saw that there were no files saved. This also did not escape Seto's notice, as he drew in a sharp breath and muttered a curse. "Shit."

Joey blinked. A slow smile spread across his face. "Did the great Seto Kaiba just swear?"

"Shut _up_ , Wheeler," Seto's eyes were hard, his face set, "And find me my files."

"With an attitude like yours, I wonder how you get anyone to work for ya." Joey shook his head. He began typing again, pulling up recovery software and preparing to search through the deepest, darkest realms of Kaiba's documents. "This is gonna take a while."

Seto's brow furrowed. "Just complete the task as fast as possible."

"Sure, but it's still gonna take days." Joey stopped typing for a moment to send Seto an impish grin. "Don't you have a company to run?"

"Those incompetent fools can manage for an afternoon without me."

"Ah, so it's not just me you insult. And here I thought I was special."

Seto caught himself almost smiling again, and covered his mouth with his hand. "I save the worst ones for you."

"Well, aren't I honoured." Joey's tone rolled with sarcasm. "Seriously though, I'm just gonna be typing at this thing for the next few hours. So unless you get a kick out of that, go get a coffee or something and come back then."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "You think I'd trust you alone with this?"

"Kaiba, _you_ did more damage to your laptop than I have," Joey snorted, his lips curling upwards again. "And no offence, but you're really distracting, standing over there leering at me."

"Leering?" Seto protested mildly.

"Yeah. Leering. So go get a coffee – you might be more pleasant on a caffeine high."

Seto pursed his lips. "…I'll let that one pass, on account of you fixing my laptop." He turned to the door, his long coat flaring around his ankles.

"Yeah. And you could get _me_ a coffee while you're out, and all."

All that earned Joey was a cuff around the back of his head, but both of them were grinning once Seto had left the room.

By the time 5pm rolled around, Joey had actually made some headway with the laptop. Some of the files had been lost for good – something Joey knew Kaiba would not be happy about – but there were promising signs of life for a few of them. Joey was currently running his fifteenth scan, leaning back in his chair and chewing on the end of a pen.

"Joey?"

"Eh?" He turned his head to see Karin leaning in the doorway, her hair pulled back in a ponytail today. She looked tired.

"I'm about to sign off for the day. You coming?"

Joey shook his head. "Nah, I'm just finishing off a scan. Could take a while."

"You're ok locking up then?" She ran a distracted hand through her hair.

"…Yeah…" Joey tilted his head, a crease appearing in his forehead. "You ok, boss?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She snapped.

Joey lifted both hands, palms-out. "I was just asking. You're even more bitchy than normal."

"Watch it." Karin sent him a half-hearted glare, but it was nowhere near as piercing as Kaiba's. She sighed. "Just home stuff. Nothing for you to worry about."

"Seb again?" Joey had a stab.

Karin just nodded for once rather than fighting back. "He hasn't been home in three days…"

Joey grimaced sympathetically. "I'll keep an eye out."

"Thanks." She managed a smirk. "One thing you're good for then."

"Watch it, or I'll chuck something at ya again."

"Please. Your aim is terrible." Karin glanced around Joey's office then, one of her eyebrows quirking up. "…Since when did you do spring cleaning?"

Joey's expression instantly settled into a scowl. "I don't. Stupid Kaiba bastard made me."

Karin grinned. "Oh, it actually worked? I thought you'd just chuck that bag of his right back in his face."

"Oh believe me, I was sorely tempted." Joey pointed an accusing finger at her. "Warn me before ya let him in next time."

Karin shrugged, and that evil smirk was back at her lips. "I might, but it's good to keep you on your toes."

Joey glared.

"Plus, he's _the_ Seto Kaiba. I'm not turning away his custom." Karin flicked a dismissive wave at Joey as she turned to leave, closing the door behind her.

"Doesn't make him any less of an asshole," Joey muttered to himself. He turned back to the laptop, watching as the scan ticked on its slow, weary way. He gently patted the black, shiny casing. "If I had a master like him, think I'd be just as beat up as you are."

The office was eerily quiet now that Karin had left. Joey had never been the last worker here before – if anything, the opposite was true – but he didn't want to leave in the middle of a scan. Plus, he had unprecedented access to the Kaiba Corp. data. Even if Kaiba had made him sign that stupid contract, there was nothing stopping him from having a little snoop, was there?

A wicked grin spread across Joey's face at that thought.

After a few more minutes, the scan finally completed. Joey clicked into the documents and whooped when a few files popped up this time. After fiddling with them for a while, he finally got them into a place where he could open them. Time to do some exploring.

The first was just full of randomly coloured figures. Joey couldn't make head nor tail of them, so quickly closed it again in favour of opening up another one. More of the same. Then one containing some weird-looking diagrams that might have been a map of the most recent Kaibaland to open. More numbers, some presentations obviously designed for a corporate audience, and then…

Joey opened another file, and his jaw dropped at what he saw.

Rows and rows of Duel Monsters cards. Rows and rows and _rows_ of Duel Monsters Cards. The list seemed endless, each accompanied by a picture, a name and stats, and a short description of the card's usefulness. On and on and on. Joey gave a low whistle, scrolling through. "There must be every card in existence listed on here!"

"…What are you doing, mutt?"

That cold voice was unmistakable. Joey instantly pushed his chair away from his laptop, turning to see Seto Kaiba leaning in his doorway again, his arms folded and his stern blue eyes fixed on Joey.

This image had become far too familiar.

"Managed to recover some of your files." Joey grinned, not in the least bit fazed at getting caught. "Neat list."

Seto grit his teeth. "You signed a contract."

"Ah, ah, ah." Joey lifted a finger, his grin widening. "It said I could look as long as it was helping recover your files. That's what I did."

Seto's lips drew into a thin line.

"Aw, c'mon Kaiba, you ought to be pleased with me." Joey gestured to the laptop, scrolling through some more of the cards. "I wasn't sure anything could be salvaged from the mess you had this in."

"I don't appreciate your insults," Seto responded as evenly as he could.

"Yeah, and I don't much like yours either, rich boy." Joey's attention was caught by the screen again, various cards reflecting back in his eyes. "I gotta say, I'm impressed. Do you have all these?"

"Of course not," Seto scoffed. "Half of them are totally worthless."

"I dunno about _half_ , Kaiba."

"Says the man who uses Scapegoat."

"Hey, don't knock Scapegoat!" Joey scowled, his ego still smarting a little. "Got me out of many tight scrapes, that card has."

Seto allowed himself a tight smile. "Only you could get yourself into messes like that in the first place, Wheeler."

"You're not such a big-shot yourself, Kaiba," Joey shot back. "Yugi beat you like every time."

"Shut up." Kaiba glanced down at his nails, tone breezy.

Joey snorted. "'Course, he beat just about everyone he played. Having an Egyptian Pharaoh helping him didn't hurt none, of course."

" _Please_." Seto rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me you're still spouting that crap."

Joey sent him an incredulous look. "Kaiba, you were in Ancient Egypt _with_ us. You saw it with your own eyes."

"I assume it was some form of group hallucination," Seto shook his head, "And I prefer not to talk about it."

Joey paused for another moment before he blew out a sigh. "It must be sad inside your head."

"More interesting than in yours, I assure you." Seto smirked. "And certainly busier."

"Hey!" Joey glared. "I bet I could beat you now."

Seto arched a brow. Joey's glare didn't scare him at all – if anything, it reminded him of a kicked puppy. He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms, glancing up at the ceiling. "I'm assuming you aren't talking physically."

"Naa, but I could probably do that too." Joey was almost whining. "But if we duelled, I'd stand a good chance at winning."

Seto snorted. "Not had enough of humiliating yourself in front of me yet, Wheeler?"

"Don't underestimate me. I've been practicing."

"Oh?" Seto glanced down at him, his blue gaze glittering. "That old man been giving you lessons again?"

"Don't knock Yugi's grandpa; he's a great guy." Joey narrowed his eyes. "Did you ever apologise for kidnapping him?"

"That was a long time ago. The senile old fool's probably forgotten it ever happened."

"You're an asshole." Joey leaned back with an arrogant grin. "And if you're too chicken to duel me again…"

Seto's voice went flat. "Don't test me, Wheeler."

Joey ignored him and kept prodding. "I mean, I always knew you were second-rate compared to Yug, but if you're even too scared to duel his best friend…"

"You're asking for it." Seto narrowed his eyes and he took a threatening step closer.

Joey grinned at him. "So duel me."

Seto looked Joey dead in the eyes. "It'd be yet another waste of my time."

"You've spent most of today just watching me. You can afford it."

Seto almost growled. "I haven't been _watching you_ ; I've been guarding my laptop."

"Call it whatever you like," Joey grinned, "You clearly have time to spare. So duel me, unless you really _are_ chicken."

"Fine," Seto snapped. "I'll come back tomorrow."

"I'll be sure to bring my deck." Joey grinned and rubbed his hands together. It has always smarted that he had never successfully beaten Kaiba at a duel. This time, he was going to prove that he wasn't as second-rate as everyone assumed.

Seto paused, turned, and looked Joey straight in the eyes. Joey found himself pinned to his seat under that harsh blue stare, his heartbeat suddenly sounding in his ears. His stomach gave a weird sort of twist.

And Kaiba smirked. "Be prepared, Wheeler. I'm not going easy on you."

Joey grinned back, his brown eyes almost seeming to glow. Seto found it hard to look away.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Kaiba."

 **There's another chapter filled with basically nothing again, but there is plot eventually, I promise. Also, please remember I really don't understand technology, so apologies for those bits not making any sense~ - Jem**


	4. Chapter 4

**Back again with an update. Things might actually get puppyshippy soon, if you stick with me~. Also, I'm only just realising how long these chapters are. I should probably work on my editing, sorry about that - Jem**

 **Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is Kazuki Takahashi's, remember. Send all fan worship his way, not mine.**

The next morning, Joey was actually awake _early_. He rose with the dawn and bustled about the kitchen, even going so far as to cook (or attempt to cook) breakfast for himself and Serenity. She blinked in amazement when she finally emerged for the day, still wrapped in her dressing gown. "Joey? What are you doing?"

"Breakfast!" He pointed at the table, where two plates of fried egg and toast sat waiting. "Took me a few tries, but I got there in the end."

Serenity edged gingerly closer. Joey normally didn't get up until five minutes before he had to leave, and then proceeded to rush around the apartment like a whirlwind, invariably arriving for work ten minutes late. He had never been _early_ – not in the whole time she had been living with him. But this morning, he was already showered and dressed, and was that a new shirt?

Serenity blinked. "Um – Joey – are you feeling ok?"

"Huh?" He glanced at her with half a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth. "Yeah, 'course I am, sis."

"…Right." Serenity shook her head and took a seat at the table.

On his lunch break later that day, Joey took a walk with Tristan, who also noticed the difference in him. Unlike Serenity, however, Tristan didn't beat about the bush. Instead, he clapped Joey on the shoulder with a grin the size of Texas. "So, who's the lucky girl?"

"What?" Joey sent Tristan a bemused look.

Tristan laughed. "No need to play coy with me, Joey. Who's got you dressing up?"

"I am not _dressing up_!" Joey glanced down at himself, blinking.

Tristan snorted. "Joey, for the first time in months, you look like you've actually been near a washing machine."

"Hey!" Joey shoved his friend's shoulder, and then blocked the return shove. He scowled. "I dunno what you're talking about."

"Oh, suuuuuure." Tristan rolled his eyes. "Mai's not back in town, is she?"

"Mai?" Joey blinked. Truth be told, he hadn't thought about her in years – not since leaving high school, when she had made it perfectly clear to him that nothing was ever going to happen between them. "No. As far as I know, she's not even in Domino anymore."

"Well, you _would_ know."

"Tristan, I told you, nothing ever happened with her and me!"

Tristan's grin didn't slip in the slightest.

"Oh, screw you." Joey gave his arm a whack, his chest puffing out. "Besides, if you keep up with this topic, I might just make _you_ talk about my sister."

Tristan instantly sobered up. He rubbed the back of his head and turned his face away, his cheeks tinting a little red.

"Exactly." Joey glared at him. "Keep your hands off her, you got that?"

"I'm not going to do anything to hurt her." Tristan widened his eyes and sent Joey a sincere look.

Joey snorted. "Yeah, as long as _I_ decide what hurts her and what doesn't."

"Well, why don't we just let her decide that for herself?"

"No chance." Joey shoved his hands in his pockets and stared stubbornly at the ground. He wasn't mentally prepared for his kid sister to be old enough to even _think_ about dating, and he _certainly_ wasn't prepared for his best friend to be the one to teach her.

They wandered around the city for a few more minutes, swapping quips, until Tristan realised he was late for his next class and had to sprint off. Joey lifted a hand in farewell and turned back towards his shop, knowing he had to head back and run another scan on Kaiba's laptop.

His duelling deck was burning a hole in his pocket.

...

Seto leaned back in his tall office chair, taking a moment to stretch his aching limbs. His long legs stretched out under the imposing desk, his arms reaching high above his head for a moment before he settled back down. The screen of his temporary laptop flickered at him. He frowned back at it. Whilst this laptop was in no way up to the standard of his own pride and joy, it was doing a decent enough job at running the calculations needed in the day-to-day running of Kaiba Corp. Still, he missed his familiar keyboard, and all the settings were wrong on this one.

With a low sigh, Seto leaned back and allowed his eyes to close, giving them a break from the glaring light of the screen. It was getting towards closing time, and he still hadn't been in to check on that moron Wheeler and his laptop. He shuddered a little at the thought of that brainless monkey with access to all the codes for Kaiba Corp., although he was fairly certain none of it would make sense to him. Then again, Seto had _never_ expected Joey to be able to tell one end of a computer from the other, and he had proved him wrong there. As for the notion of actually _duelling_ the moron, the very notion was preposterous. Seto would never sink that low again.

Even if his duelling deck was sitting conveniently in the top drawer of his desk.

Just then, a small buzzing sounded from one of the inner pockets of Kaiba's coat. He reached inside and extracted his mobile phone, flipping it to his ear without bothering to check the caller ID. Only a very select group of people had access to his personal number. "Seto Kaiba."

"Hey, big bro." Mokuba's voice sounded excitedly down the line.

Seto allowed a small smile to twitch his lips. "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Have you checked the time? Last class just finished."

Seto glanced at the clock at the bottom right of his laptop, and saw that it was indeed gone 4pm. "Alright, as long as you're not skiving. What's up?"

"Wanted to check if you're getting home at a reasonable hour tonight." Mokuba was grinning; Seto could hear it in his voice.

Seto arched a brow. "I might. Why?"

"Because there's a new series starting that I think you'll love."

Seto sighed. "Mokuba, I don't have time to lie around watching…"

"But you'll _love_ this one!" Mokuba's voice pitched up. "It's got ghosts, and drama, and possibly even a romance…"

"Why do you think I'd like that?" Seto questioned with a smirk.

"I don't know – because you do actually have a heart under all that ice?"

"I've told you that spreading lies is bad unless it's for personal gain."

Mokuba sighed. "Yeah, but honestly, this show's meant to be really good. And I don't wanna watch it alone."

"So invite a friend."

"But _Seto_ …!" Mokuba's tone almost turned into a whine, and Seto was sure he was making _that_ expression at his phone. With those stupid wide eyes and his lower lip just trembling…

"Alright, fine." Seto finally relented, though his tone stayed sharp. "What time is it on?"

"Not until 8. We'll have to eat first." Mokuba's voice was instantly back to its usual bright, cheery tone. Seto rolled his eyes. His brother certainly knew how to play him. "Will you get home in time?"

"Sure." Seto glanced at the time again before suddenly standing up. "In fact, I'm leaving now."

"Really?" Mokuba was grinning again. "You might beat me home then."

"Not quite." Seto paused for just a moment longer before he reached out and scooped up his duel deck, eyeing it closely. "There's somewhere I have to drop by first."

...

Joey pushed back from the laptop with a frustrated growl. He had spent the past several hours attempting to scan for some files that he _knew_ were hiding in the system somewhere, but it had repeatedly failed on him. This time, the scan had hit 98% before the whole laptop suddenly cut out and the screen turned dead black again. Joey scowled at it. "I thought we were friends."

The laptop stayed silent.

"Of course, you do belong to _Kaiba_ ," Joey muttered as he attempted to restart the damned thing, "So I suppose it's in your nature to be grouchy." He tried several combinations before the laptop gradually sputtered back to life again, its screen blinking weakly. Joey shook his head at it. "C'mon, work with me here."

Reaching into his pocket for the paper with Kaiba Corp.'s codes, Joey dislodged a few cards from his duelling deck. They went sprawling across the cracked lino floor, which was miraculously still clean after his Kaiba-induced cleaning stint earlier in the week. Joey slid off his chair to collect them again, and was still on his hands and knees when a familiar figure arrived in the doorway.

"Crawling around at my feet again, mutt?"

Joey sat up too fast and cracked his head against the underside of his desk. He winced. "Warn a guy before you turn up, Kaiba."

"That takes all the fun out of it." Seto leaned against the wall again, glancing around the now-familiar office. It was so tiny compared to his own, Seto thought idly. He could probably fit about ten of them into his office at Kaiba Corp.

Joey crawled out with his cards in his mouth and sent Seto a charged glare.

Seto smirked down at him. "Do you actively _try_ and act like a dog? Or does it just come naturally?"

Joey's brown eyes hardened. He clambered gracelessly back up to his feet and pulled the cards out of his mouth, proceeding to point them at Kaiba with a glare. "Watch it, Kaiba."

Seto scoffed. "Or what?"

"Or I might just decide to throw your laptop outta the window." Joey placed his deck back down on the desk before gesturing to the laptop with a scowl. "She's been driving me bonkers today."

Seto immediately straightened up, glancing at the screen. "What's wrong with it?"

" _You_ are incapable of taking care of her, that's what." Joey sat back down and pulled it towards him, impatiently inputting the passcodes. "The scan keeps failing on me."

Seto folded his arms. "I use my laptop just fine."

"Maybe on your planet," Joey snorted, "But here on earth, there's such a thing as overworking technology."

Seto didn't deign that with a response.

"How many hours a day do you spend on this thing, anyway?" Joey tutted as he clicked onto the scanning menu again. _Sixteenth time lucky._

Seto heaved a sigh. "You keep insisting on asking me personal questions, Wheeler."

"I'm interested in your laptop, Kaiba, not _you_."

Seto blinked, surprised when there was a slight twinge in his stomach at those words. He narrowed his eyes to cover the weird feeling. "I've no doubt."

"So?" Joey set the scan running and span to face Kaiba again, those brown eyes latching onto his. "How many hours?"

Seto shrugged. "Fifteen on an average day."

" _Fifteen_?" Joey sputtered.

"Yes. Occasionally a little more if it's a weekend."

Joey's eyes were wide. "Well, no wonder your laptop's busted! _15 hours a day?!_ "

"Do you have a problem with my work habits, Wheeler?" Seto asked calmly.

Joey snorted. "You're mental, and you're ruining your laptop."

"Is it any business of yours?"

"Hey, I'm just tryn'a help." Joey folded his arms and leaned back, a slight grin tugging at his lips again. "But if ya keep busting it, you'll have to keep coming back."

Seto arched one perfect brow. "I had no idea you were so keen on my company."

"I'm not." Joey's grin settled into a scowl and he glared at Kaiba. "But Karin seems to appreciate your money."

"I'll add her to the list."

"Moneybags." Joey rolled his eyes, glancing back at the laptop. The scan was reading at 6%. He blew out a frustrated sigh. "This is gonna take ages."

"Mm." Seto spared it barely a glance before he focused back on Joey. "Why are you running another one this late? I half expected you to be gone when I arrived."

"Normally, I would be." Joey cast a glance at the clock to see that it was now well past 5pm. "But the last scan was mid-flow when Karin was closing up, so I thought I might as well stay." Plus, Joey had been kind of wondering if Kaiba might show up. He had sort of got used to their daily interactions. And there was the promise of a duel…

Kaiba jerked his head in a nod. "Glad to see you're paying proper attention to my laptop."

Joey snorted. "Yeah, _that's_ what I'm doing." He glanced up at Kaiba, head tilting slightly to one side. "How come you're here so late?"

Seto glanced up at the ceiling from his usual place leaning against the wall. "I debated coming at all."

"Oho!" Joey grinned. "Scared of facing me in a duel, huh?"

Seto's only response was to pin Joey with another of his sharp glares.

Joey remained unfazed, practically immune to that expression by now. If anything, he would feel weird if Kaiba _didn't_ fix him with a stern stare every five minutes. He gestured to the desk. "So, did'ya bring your deck?"

Seto wordlessly reached into one pocket and removed a stack of cards.

"Awesome!" Joey couldn't keep the grin off his face. He hadn't been entirely sure whether Kaiba would go along with a duel, but he relished any opportunity to play the game again. He didn't get to duel anyone other than Yugi's grandpa, and occasionally Tristan, anymore, and he had been itching for a good match. Even if Kaiba was most likely to win. "None of your crazy holographic technology this time, though. Just you, me, and the cards."

"I _am_ aware of how this works, Wheeler." Seto's tone was as apathetic as ever, but Joey could have sworn he noticed a gleam in Seto's eyes that hadn't been there before.

They ended up seated on the floor. After a quick squabble over who should take the desk chair, they realised that there really wasn't enough desk space to set up a decent playing field, so opted for the floor in the centre of the room instead. They went through all the usual preliminaries – shuffling each other's decks whilst spewing insults at each other – before they got down to the proper duelling.

It didn't take long for Joey to begin losing.

Still, he put up a good fight, managing to take down a good few of Seto's monsters. He was almost beginning to feel hopeful when Seto drew a card, glanced at it, and smirked. That arrogant expression sent shivers down Joey's spine. "Ah, dammit, that's a blue eyes, isn't it?"

Seto's smirk only grew. Sure enough, on his next turn, he played his favourite monster.

Joey threw his hands in the air and placed his hand down on the field. "Alright, alright, you win this time."

Seto looked smug as he reached for the score sheet and scratched Joey's life points down to zero. "I did warn you, Wheeler. A duel against me will only ever end in humiliation for you."

"Yeah, well, maybe you should test that theory out again tomorrow." Joey scooped up his deck, gathering all his cards together.

Seto released a low chuckle. The sound was alien from his lips, and Joey realised that it was the first time he had ever heard him truly laugh. "Please, I'll just win again."

"Then you should have no problem with playing me." Joey got to his feet and stuck out his hand for Kaiba to shake. "And you're a decent enough enemy."

"Wish I could say the same for you, Wheeler." Kaiba paused in sorting through his cards to eye Joey's outstretched hand.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Just shake on it for once."

After another few moments, Seto shifted his deck into his left hand and grasped Joey's hand in his right. His fingers were surprisingly warm for such a cold personality. His eyes, however, remained as cool as ever as they met Joey's gaze. "Tomorrow, then."

Joey grinned. "Yep. Hell, I might even beat ya."

"In your dreams, mutt." Seto turned, his heels tapping on the cracked lino as he walked towards the door. "And don't forget to keep working on my laptop."

Joey tipped him a mock-salute, watching him out of the door.

...

Seto was feeling oddly warm as he walked back to his mansion from Joey's shop. He didn't bother to call a driver. It was that pleasant time of evening just after the sun had sunk below the horizon, and the air was full of gentle darkness that cocooned the shadows. Not many people were out walking this late, though enough cars still zipped past on the roads. Seto held his briefcase loosely by his side and tipped his head back to look at the sky. He was feeling weirdly relaxed.

Well, winning a duel did that, he supposed.

Especially a duel against _Wheeler._ Seto couldn't help but smirk when he remembered the look on Joey's face after he had drawn his blue eyes. The mutt's eyes had widened, and his lips pursed so much that he was practically pouting. His blond hair had still been dripping irritatingly into his brown eyes, and Seto idly wondered why he didn't just get it cut. _Stupid thought, really. The mutt's probably never been near a comb, let alone anything else._

When Seto finally arrived back at his mansion, he found Mokuba waiting with a meal already prepared on the table. It was only a takeout, because neither of the brothers had any idea how to use an oven, but it was still a fairly unusual gesture. Seto arched a brow at his younger sibling as he deposited his briefcase in his study. "…What's this?"

"Dinner!" Mokuba bounced into the study after his brother, his dark eyes lit with inner warmth. He gave Seto his usual quick hug before grabbing his hand and dragging him through to the dining room. "But we have to eat fast, because the show's gonna start."

 _Oh right,_ Seto remembered. _TV show._ He had become so caught up in that duel with Joey … _Wheeler_ … that he had almost forgotten his promise to Mokuba.

"I thought you said you were going to be home early today." Mokuba sniffed as they sat down to eat.

Seto blinked. That was two people who had pouted at him today. "Sorry. I was delayed."

"That's ok." Mokuba spoke through a mouthful of pizza. "Work stuff?"

Seto half-smiled. "…Of a sort."

Mokuba looked quizzically at his brother. That expression was unusual to say the least – it normally took a lot for Mokuba to get so much as a smirk out of Seto, especially after a long day at work. He filed the information away to ask about later, because right now there was important TV to watch.

Later that evening, both Kaiba brothers were sprawled out on the sofa in one their large living rooms, the giant TV displaying the show in bright, beautiful detail. Seto begrudgingly had to admit that it was actually a fairly decent show. Mokuba certainly seemed to enjoy it. The younger Kaiba lay with his legs thrown across Seto's lap, a giant bowl of popcorn by his hand, and his dark eyes bright as he stared at the screen. Seto couldn't help but feel oddly warm when he looked at his brother. He had always wanted this sort of life for Mokuba. It was the main drive that kept him going to work all through his school career, the single motivation that focused his pointed mind, and stopped anything from getting in his way. And Seto had succeeded.

He almost wanted to smile again. But he had been doing too much of that lately.

At one of the advert breaks, Mokuba turned down the volume slightly and twisted to look his brother in the face. "So, what were you doing after work today?"

"Mm?" Seto shook himself out of his half-daydream.

"After work." Mokuba sat up slightly. "You said on the phone you were leaving, but then you didn't come home for, like, hours."

A small crease appeared in Seto's brow. "It wasn't hours." _Was it?_

"Well, it was a long time, anyway." Mokuba shifted a bit.

Seto folded his arms. "I was checking up on my laptop."

"Oh, yeah. Is it fixed yet?"

Seto shook his head.

Mokuba arched a brow, looking confused. "It took you hours just to go see a broken laptop?"

"Well, I may have stayed to … talk to Wheeler." Seto's frown deepened. It felt weird to say that.

"Seriously?" Mokuba's brows shot up.

Seto glanced back at him, almost amused. "No need to look like that."

"No, but – you _willingly_ talked to Joey. That's a pretty big step." Mokuba grinned and reached over to pat his brother's arm. "Maybe you're finally becoming human."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "You're not too old to be grounded."

Mokuba wasn't dissuaded in the slightest. He flicked his long hair over his shoulder and settled more comfortably, eyes sparkling up at his brother. "So? What did you and Joey do?"

"Duelled, actually."

"You _duelled_ him?" Mokuba's grin grew even wider.

Seto rolled his eyes. "If you can call it that."

"Who won?"

"Mokuba." Seto fixed his younger brother with a disdainful stare that plainly stated his thoughts.

Mokuba shrugged mischievously. "Joey's pretty good…"

"Get out."

Mokuba snorted with laughter and leaned back, settling more comfortably horizontal on the sofa. "Are you gonna go back?"

"Of course. I need my laptop."

"No, I mean – to duel."

Seto paused, his blue eyes turning back towards the TV. His gaze turned a little distant.

"…I might."

 **Bit of a shorter chapter. I hope it's ok. Also, I don't actually play the duel monsters' card game, so I won't get too detailed about that. And again, apologies for technological errors. Another update should be out soon, and thanks for reading this far, you're all wonderful ^_^ - Jem**


	5. Chapter 5

**Back for another update. Thanks so much for sticking with me this far. Eventually, there will be puppyshipping, I promise~ - Jem**

 **Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't mine, remember. It's Kazuki Takahashi's. And he is the one deserving of endless praise and worship.**

Duelling every evening quickly became a routine for Seto and Joey.

Every day, Joey would go into work and spend the majority of the day working on cracking Seto's laptop. The files were stubborn about being recovered, and it still crashed on several occasions, so he would usually not have too much to show for his day's labour. Especially as he was still getting called out on other jobs. Karin often popped her head in and told him off for spending too much time on one project.

Joey shrugged. "What can I do? It's taking a while."

"Hmph." Karin tapped her bright red nails impatiently against the doorframe to Joey's office. "Even if he is _the_ Seto Kaiba, I'm starting to question if we really need his money this badly."

"Karin, you'd do _anything_ for money."

"Watch it." Karin glared at him. "And not if it means basically losing one of my workers."

Joey pursed his lips. "Eh, I'm still doing my job."

"Just barely. And I thought you were good at avoiding work before."

Joey sniffed, whining something about how he always gave his best to this job. Karin just laughed at him before walking out.

Joey went back to Seto's laptop.

At lunch, he would often pop out to see Tristan, or Yugi's grandpa, depending on who was free. If it was the latter, Joey would usually ask some more hints about duelling tactics. He genuinely wasn't that bad of a duellist, but he knew that Kaiba would take some beating. Joey even went so far as to draw up some strategies in a notebook.

Then, every evening, just before closing time, Seto would turn up.

They usually exchanged some insults before settling down to duel, and every time they played, the score was a little closer. Seto even broke a sweat in this evening's game, his lips drawing into a thin, stern line and his blue eyes hardening in concentration. His long, slender fingers picked out the cards, playing with a single-minded determination that Joey remembered well from their previous tournaments. He knew he was better now than he had ever been then. Now, he actually had Kaiba on the ropes.

In fact … Joey was _winning_.

Kaiba's eyes were narrowed to near-slits. His fingers clenched around his hand as he scanned the field, his lips pursing. This couldn't be correct. There was no way.

Joey sensed weakness and leaned forwards, a giant grin lighting his face. "You alright there, moneybags?"

Seto didn't respond. His hand clenched as he drew his cards closer to his chest.

Joey leaned back on his hands and surveyed Seto with an arrogant grin. "Well, you're taking a long time there, Kaiba. Got a problem? Things not going your way?"

"…Shut up, Wheeler."

Joey couldn't help himself anymore. "I won, didn't I?"

Seto remained silent.

"I did!" Joey burst into bright rounds of laughter. He clutched his stomach, falling onto his back as loud puffs of laughter escaped his lips. "I beat Seto Kaiba!"

"Shut up." Seto finally looked up, throwing his cards down onto the ground. He paused at the sight of Joey on the floor. The mutt's blond hair was splayed out around his face, sticking up more than it usually did. His eyes were screwed tight shut, his giant grin essentially covering his entire face. His body was leaner than Seto had thought, his legs long and his arms wrapped tight around his stomach. Joey seemed to carry a sort of warmth around with him; it seeped into every room he entered, and even reached Seto's cold core.

Seto blinked. Something strange stirred in his stomach. Something strange and unwelcome.

Joey finally sat up again, his warm brown eyes opening and fixing straight onto Seto's own. Joey was a little surprised to find that Seto had been watching him. His grin didn't falter. "Finally lost to me, huh?"

"You got lucky, Wheeler." Seto was glad when his voice sounded just as monotone as always.

"Pah, I beat ya fair and square, and you know it." Joey preened, his chest puffing out in the way he always did when he got arrogant.

"…Perhaps."

"Ha! I knew it." Joey grinned, his eyes flicking back at Seto.

Seto looked calmly back at him. "You were bound to fluke at some point. The key is whether you can do it again."

"Well, ya'll just have to come back Monday to find out, won't ya?"

Seto pursed his lips. "I should have known a dump like this wouldn't open at the weekends."

Joey grabbed a piece of popcorn and flicked it straight Seto's head. "Watch it, moneybags."

Seto glared at Joey, unimpressed. He gathered up his cards and got to his feet, his coat flaring around him as he reached his full height. To Joey, still seated on the floor, he cut quite a towering figure. "Monday, then."

"…Yeah. Monday." Joey nodded, but before he could get to his own feet, Seto had turned and left the shop, leaving Joey standing amongst the remains of his winning cards.

…

The next morning, Serenity sent her brother a keen stare from her position on the couch. He had been in a good mood all morning, whistling jovially as he went about cooking them both breakfast for the second time that week. He always had been a positive person, but this exuberance had at least doubled from what he was normally like. She was almost worried that he was taking something. Currently, he was flying about the place hunting down every book he had on duel monsters, muttering away to himself.

Serenity's blue eyes followed him around the room. Eventually, she had to ask. "What are you doing, Joey?"

"Huh?" He paused, glancing up from where his nose had been buried in a book, and grinned at her. "Oh, I'm looking up some new strategies."

"Again?" Serenity was growing a little worried.

"Sure! I need to keep improving. Winning once doesn't make me a champion, after all."

Serenity blinked. "I didn't think you duelled that often anymore."

"Oh. Yeah. I don't." Joey rubbed the back of his head and twisted away, avoiding his sister's gaze. He dropped the book he was holding. "At all."

Serenity leaned forwards, putting down the magazine she was holding. She swallowed. "Uh … Joey…"

"Oh, food! That's what I was gonna check." And Joey was sprinting off again, diving across the cramped, messy apartment into the kitchen. Seconds later, the sounds of cupboard doors slamming echoed back to her.

Serenity frowned. She hadn't ever seen Joey behaving so erratically like this, not even during her own health issues, or when he moved into his own place away from their father. Joey's reaction to trauma was to ignore it until it went away. He would always act as if there was nothing wrong, and Serenity was beginning to worry that his new good mood was the result of something very sinister.

She couldn't have been further from the truth.

Joey was whistling again as he bustled about the kitchen. Their cupboards were decidedly low on stock, so he wrote out a quick list of the essentials that they would need and crouched to do some calculations. This was by far his least favourite job – numbers had never been his strong point – but after living alone, he knew he needed to keep an eye on his finances. He had come too close to his overdraft one too many times to not count his pennies. Especially now he had Serenity to support as well.

Once he had a workable list (and he was fairly sure he could afford it), Joey crossed back through the living room to the door. "I'm heading out to the shops, see ya in a bit."

"Oh, ok…" Serenity turned her head, and her blue eyes were still clouded with concern. "Are you sure…"

"I'll be fine. See ya later, sis!" Joey exited the apartment, the door closing firmly behind him.

…

A few hours later, Joey walked onto the street with his arms laden down with bags. It had taken him longer than usual to shop as he had made a last-minute detour and popped into the Game Shop again. Yugi's grandpa had been more than happy to see him. They spent a long time discussing the merits of various cards and talking through certain strategies, and then the phone had rung with a call from Yugi in Egypt. He had been delighted to hear that Joey was there, and demanded to be put on.

Joey took the phone with a grin. "Heya, Yug."

"Joey!" Yugi sounded just as bright as ever. "What are you doing at my grandpa's?"

"He's fixing me up with some great new duelling strategies, seeing as my best teacher ran off to Egypt."

"Oh, well Joey, if you ever need help you know you can just call…"

"I'm joking, Yug." Joey snickered. "How are ya?"

"Oh, great! Yeah, everything's really good. But why are you asking about duelling strategies? Is there a tournament?"

Joey shook his head. "Oh, no, nothing like that."

"Are you playing against grandpa, then? Because he's pretty formidable."

"Naa, I wouldn't dare." Joey held back a shudder, remembering his time training with the old man. Nothing had left him so exhausted. "I'm actually duelling Kaiba."

"Kaiba?" The surprise was evident in Yugi's voice. The line practically crackled with it.

Joey rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

"That's … wow. How did that happen?"

"It's kinda a long story." Joey glanced up at the ceiling. "His laptop broke, I'm fixing it … kinda developed from there."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Hey, I actually managed to beat him last time, though."

"Seriously? Joey, that's great!" Yugi sounded impressed. "Though I bet he didn't take that very well."

Joey pursed his lips. "Actually, he was pretty cool."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He didn't try and kidnap anyone or anything. Actually, he … said he'd come back Monday for a rematch."

"Wow." Yugi's voice still sounded surprised. "Well, that's great. Give him my best, yeah?"

Joey couldn't help but grin at the thought of Kaiba's reaction to that. "Yeah, I will."

They had hung up soon after that, and then Joey bid his farewell to Yugi's grandpa and headed out to the supermarket. Just as he was leaving to head back home again, the sky turned a deep, unpleasant shade of black. Joey glared up at the sky. The last thing he needed was a sudden bout of rain. The bags were heavy as he hefted them, and he had neglected to bring a coat when he rushed out of his apartment that morning.

Gritting his teeth, Joey ducked his head and headed out onto the streets.

He had barely made it three streets when the heavens opened. Rain as hard as nails started spewing out of the increasingly dark sky, bouncing off the pavement and forming wide puddles faster than ought to be possible. Joey splashed through them as quickly as he could. He paused long enough to tug his green jacket up over his head, sheltering as best he could as he sprinted on through the streets. He was running through the business area of Domino now, with giant skyscrapers rising up either side of the busy road. Cars zoomed past regularly, and Joey glared at their comfortable, dry passengers.

As he rounded a corner, a familiar logo met Joey's damp stare. A giant 'K' and 'C' intertwined on a blue background, a vast statue of a familiar dragon sitting proudly by the entrance to a skyscraper. Kaiba Corp. headquarters. Joey glanced at the dragon, then up to the still-seething sky, and then back to the dragon.

A rumble of thunder helped him make up his mind.

Without further deliberation, Joey sprinted up to the entrance of the Kaiba Corp. building. The automatic glass doors slid open to reveal a large, clean foyer, with chairs set out at both sides and a large reception desk in the centre. The lady sitting behind it sent Joey a slightly disapproving stare over the glasses perched on the end of her nose.

Joey flashed her a tentative smile. He knew he must look a state. His blond hair dripped down into his eyes, flattened against his head, and his clothes were causing a puddle to form on the ground. He shivered violently. The bags had collected little droplets of water, but Joey put them down anyway and watched the dampness begin to seep into the perfect beige carpet. _Just a few moments. I'll just wait here a few minutes until the rain lets up a bit_.

Time seemed to tick by impossibly slowly. Joey switched his gaze to look out of the tall glass doors again, watching the tracks the raindrops made against the spotless clear surface. The storm didn't look like it would be letting up anytime soon. Jagged lightning ripped through the sky, accompanied by a loud, rolling thunderclap that dragged endlessly through the atmosphere. Joey hoped that Serenity was safely in the apartment.

A lift dinged behind him. Footsteps sounded across the foyer carpet, then paused for a moment when they got closer. A very familiar voice sounded. "Joey?"

Joey jumped, spinning around to find Seto Kaiba standing just behind him. His blue eyes were slightly quizzical, the same silver briefcase gripped in his fist.

Joey cursed inside his head. He had never even thought that Seto might still be working – it was a Saturday, after all. He summoned up his usual cheery grin. "Oh, hey, Kaiba."

Seto lifted one brow. "What are you doing in my office?"

"Eh…" Joey gestured towards the window, then to the bags dripping at his feet. "Got caught in the rain."

"Obviously." Seto's eyes dragged over Joey's bedraggled, soaking form, and his lips twitched.

Joey scowled. "I doubt you'd be looking your best if you'd run through _that_." He pointed to the window and the storm that was still raging outside.

"I wouldn't have been foolish enough to get caught in it." Seto glanced towards the window, shaking his head. "Couldn't you _see_ that it was raining?"

"It was dry when I went out!"

"It's been raining for hours."

"…I've been out for a while." Joey shook his head, droplets from his hair spraying out around him.

Seto looked mildly disdainful. "Mutt."

"Shut it, Kaiba." Joey folded his arms and planted his feet firmly in the carpet, grinning. "I was at the Game Shop gloating about my victory to Yugi and his grandpa."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "You got lucky once. I won many more times."

"Yeah, yeah. Yugi sends his love, by the way."

"He what?" Seto's voice went flat.

Joey snickered at the look on Seto's face. "He sends you his best, but same difference really."

"I don't care what that little squirt does."

Joey pressed an exaggerated hand to his chest. "You wound us, Kaiba."

Despite himself, Seto's lips twitched.

Joey glanced around the office, noting that it was empty aside from the receptionist and themselves. He tilted his head in Seto's direction. "Do you always work on Saturdays?"

"Of course." Seto's voice was smooth and cool.

Joey shook his head. "No wonder your laptop's beat."

"A multi-million company doesn't stop at the weekends, Wheeler."

Joey looked sternly at Kaiba. "Technology does, however. You have to give your laptop a break, Kaiba, or she'll just bust up again."

Seto looked coolly back. "That's what you're for."

"Yeah, but I can't give her back to ya if you're gonna neglect her."

A smirk tugged at one corner of Seto's mouth. "I warned you not to get attached."

"I'm not, but I have a duty of care, y'know?" Joey matched Seto's smirk with a grin.

Seto smiled briefly, then glanced out of the window as a sleek black car pulled up to the entrance. Joey followed his gaze and rolled his eyes. "Oh, sure, big-shot moneybags has a driver to fetch him."

"Did you honestly expect anything different?"

"'Course not. I know you, Kaiba." Joey ran a hand through his damp hair, staring glumly out at the storm.

Seto picked up his briefcase and strode towards the door, pausing just by the exit. He glanced back at Joey with a cool gaze. "Are you coming?"

"Eh?" Joey blinked. "'S'cuse me?"

"I'm offering you a lift, moron." Seto had to resist the urge to smile again at the look of shock on Joey's features. He schooled his face back into its usual stoic expression, fingers tapping impatiently on the glass.

Joey spluttered. "A … lift? A lift, in _that_? In your car? I … uh…"

Seto snorted. "It isn't an infinite offer. Get in."

Joey hesitated for just a second longer before grabbing his bags and following Seto.

The inside of the limo revealed light leather seats, many flashing buttons blinking invitingly up at them. Joey's fingers itched to play with them. It smelled clean and inviting, the interior warm compared to the mass of hail still falling from the sky outside. The only sign of the weather was a dull thud of the rain against the roof.

The car pulled away smoothly, the driver saying politely over his shoulder, "Same address as earlier, Mr Kaiba?"

"Yes." Seto nodded, languishing back in his seat and stretching his long legs out in front of him. He closed his eyes. "We're going to pick Mokuba up before I drop you wherever your nearest kennel is, mutt."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Would you stop with the dog thing already?"

Seto opened one eye to send Joey an amused stare. "Why? You make it so easy."

Joey reached out a leg and gave Seto a kick. "Asshole."

"So you say." Seto rubbed his leg with a slight glare in Joey's direction.

"You are. An arrogant, narcissistic, unfeeling bastard…"

"I didn't _have_ to give you a ride, you know." Seto smirked a little, folding his arms.

Joey grinned. "You knew what you were getting yourself into."

Seto declined to comment on that.

As the car drove on, Joey finally gave into temptation and began to play with the many buttons and switches flashing up at him. He was fascinated by how the technology worked, muttering to himself under his breath. "So that links up there, and this button activates that switch, but how…?"

Seto watched Joey sidelong, unable to keep a small smile from tugging at his mouth. It was almost … _cute_ … how the mutt was so fascinated by his car. However, after the various windows had opened and closed four times, Seto sighed delicately. "I know the flashing lights are stimulating for your tiny brain, but you're letting the rain in."

"Hey." Joey flicked him a slight glare. "My tiny brain is fixing your laptop."

"A fact that never ceases to amaze me."

Joey snickered, leaving the buttons alone in favour of turning to face Seto again. "You can hardly talk. You're useless with technology."

Seto raised one amused brow, his tone smooth. "I run a gaming company."

"Yeah, doesn't mean your any good at controlling it." Joey sat back with a grin. "I bet you have entire departments to develop it all for you."

"I write all the code."

"Sure, _software_." Joey wrinkled his nose. "That's the boring bit. It's the hard stuff that's really good."

Seto snorted. "Please. Any monkey can make a machine, but it takes genius to get it running."

"Yeah, but what're ya gonna do when it breaks?" Joey shook his head. "You've gotta maintain the stuff you make."

"That's why I have repair teams."

Joey scoffed. "Naa, they won't fix the problem. You've gotta actually take care of technology."

Seto glared mildly in his direction. "Are you trying to tell me how to run my business?"

"I'm just telling ya the facts." Joey grinned suddenly, his face lighting up. "As if you'd take my advice."

Seto folded his arms with a faint smile. "The day I take your advice is the day Kaiba Corp. runs into the ground."

"Yeah, and hell'll freeze over and all."

They both chuckled as the car drew to another stop. The driver got out and opened the door, revealing the sodden form of the younger Kaiba, who quickly tumbled into the car. "Seto, you could have got here sooner! I'm soaked!"

The older Kaiba leaned back lazily. "I expected you to have more sense than to stand in the rain."

"Yeah, but you're late! I was…" Mokuba trailed off when his eyes alighted upon the third figure in the car, his face lighting up. "Joey?"

Joey tipped him a mock-salute.

"Joey!" Mokuba grinned, settling into his seat and flicking a glance between him and Seto. "What are you doing here?"

"Your brother took pity on me," Joey grinned back, "And he isn't making me walk home in the rain."

Seto stared out of the window, disinterested. "You were dripping all over my carpet."

"Sure, and you can't have me messing up your palace of corporate beauty." Joey smirked.

"Something like that, yes."

The driver asked for Joey's address, and he gave it without a second thought. The car pulled away smoothly, leaving the three in the back sitting in slightly awkward silence. Seto continued to look out of the window, and Joey glanced back at the flashing buttons, tempted to play with them again.

Mokuba looked between them with a slightly mischievous grin. "So, Joey, I hear you've got my brother's laptop."

"Yeah." Joey sent Seto a small smirk. "I'm having to teach him how to look after it properly."

Without looking around, Seto responded, "Don't listen to a word he says, Mokuba."

Mokuba snickered. "Actually, I believe him. You always leave our games consoles in a state…"

"Mokuba…"

"…And I've seen you spilling coffee on your laptop before."

Seto shot his brother a cold, stern stare.

Joey, however, shuddered. "Coffee near her too? No wonder she's suffering."

"Your obsession is showing, mutt."

"Well, if you won't care for her properly…"

Mokuba glanced between the two of them again, a small crease appearing in his forehead. He looked quizzically at Joey. "Um, who's 'she'?"

Joey, despite himself, felt his cheeks heating up slightly. Seto turned his head, noticed, and smirked as he smoothly replied, "Joey's taken it upon himself to personify my laptop."

"Oh!" Mokuba grinned. "I wondered for a minute."

"Shaddap." Joey stared out of the window and waited for his cheeks to cool down. The rain was still falling heavily, but through the curtains of hail he could make out the slightly seedy area that his apartment was located in. Joey shifted a little. He was sure the Kaiba brothers would be judging his area, Seto especially. But it was the best he could afford. Still, it paled considerably when compared to the Kaiba Corp. offices, and Joey only shuddered to think of the wealth of Seto's mansion.

The car glided on, and Mokuba glanced out of the window too. He shifted a bit when he noticed the area they were entering. "Um, Joey, do you live on your own?"

Joey blinked. "Naa, Serenity's with me."

"Your sister?" Mokuba remembered. "The one who was at Battle City?"

"Yeah, that's her." Joey smiled, his eyes warming with affection. "She moved here a few months ago."

Mokuba blinked, his eyes narrowing. "Wasn't she living with you before?"

"Naa." Joey paused for a moment, his tone turning slightly sour. "She was with our mother before."

"…Oh." Mokuba shifted a bit. "Weren't you?"

"Nope. I was with dad." Joey's fingers tightened on the leather seat. Seto heard a slight strain in his tone and glanced over, noting the way Joey's shoulders tensed and his brown eyes turned dull.

Mokuba continued to question. "That sucks that you were separated. What happened to your dad?"

"Nothing." Joey grit his teeth.

"So you just moved out?" Mokuba's eyes narrowed. "And left him on his own?"

"Oh, believe me, he prefers it that way."

"But…"

"That's enough, Mokuba." Seto's cool tone cut in, his blue eyes fixed on Joey's tense form.

Mokuba glanced at Seto. "But…"

"Leave it."

Mokuba sat back in his seat, making a face at being reprimanded, but Joey flicked Seto a small, grateful smile. Seto nodded in return.

After another few minutes, Joey was back to his normal jovial self. "Hey, Mokuba, did Seto tell you how I beat him on Friday?"

"What?" Mokuba sat up straight again, staring in disbelief at Joey. "You're kidding!"

Seto shrank down in his seat a little.

Joey spent the rest of the journey gloating with Mokuba, both of them poking good-natured fun in Seto's direction. The older Kaiba glared at Joey, leaning passed him to open the door when the car finally pulled up outside his apartment building. "There, get out and good riddance, mutt."

Joey stuck his tongue out childishly. "You're just a sore loser, Seto."

Seto paused for a moment, surprised, but then declined to comment on the use of his first name. Instead, he leaned back and crossed his arms. "See how your attitude is after I beat you on Monday."

"If you can!" Joey climbed out of the car, giving Mokuba a jaunty wave as it pulled away from his drive. He turned to enter the building, and came face-to-face with one of his neighbours, an elderly woman putting her bins out. She stared open-mouthed at the limo.

Joey couldn't help himself; he smirked. "Yep. That's my ride."

 **Another chapter filled with kind of … nothing. Sorry. ^_^ Next update should be out shortly – Jem**


	6. Chapter 6

**Time for chapter 6 out of 10, and thanks for everyone reading! I've had such lovely comments, I'm glad you're enjoying this little story. It's my first attempt at writing Seto and Joey and I didn't expect to have this many people reading, so I hope I'm doing ok. ^^ Hope you enjoy this chapter – Jem**

 **Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't mine, it's Kazuki Takahashi's, praise be to him**

The laptop was repaired.

Joey sat in his tiny office, his head resting in the palm of one hand as he surveyed Kaiba's laptop sitting open in front of him. It was repaired. The final scans had been completed, all the files and documents recovered apart from the most recent ones, which hadn't had a chance to be backed up before the whole thing went kaput. Joey had managed to rescue all the key data, however, and now the laptop was running perfectly. He had even cleaned up the system and refreshed some of the settings.

There was no reason to delay giving it back any longer.

To his surprise, Joey felt a slight sinking in his stomach at that thought. It had been a little over a week since Seto had first walked into the shop, and since then, they had duelled almost every night. After their impromptu weekend drive, Seto had come in at the end of Monday all prepared to rectify his bruised ego, and had proceeded to smash Joey in their customary duel. He strutted back out feeling a lot better about himself.

But he had still come back the next day.

Their evening duels continued, and a few of them had got very close, although Joey hadn't managed to win another one yet. And now he never would. Seto would turn up this evening, take his laptop, and then walk out of the shop for good. Maybe play one last duel for the fun of it, but then that would be it. Seto, gone. And Joey's life would return to normal.

Joey was not very happy about that.

He sighed, rubbing at his forehead with his free hand. He shouldn't be upset about this. There was no reason at _all_ for him to miss Kaiba when all the asshole did was fling insults at him. But, for some reason, Joey had come to enjoy their short, snappy interactions, and the endless bickering as they duelled. And sometimes, the way Kaiba's blue eyes gleamed and tinted when he looked Joey's way, he couldn't help but wonder…

And he was sure he had caught Kaiba smiling on more than one occasion.

There was no point in worrying about it anymore, however, not now that their short reintroduction was coming to an end. Joey had run out of excuses to keep hold of the laptop. Tonight would be the last time they met.

Joey swiped at the touchpad when the screen began to dim, lighting up Seto's desktop again. It had made Joey grin the first time he opened it to see that Seto's background was a blue-eyes. What else would that obsessed bastard have used? Idly, Joey waved the mouse over its nose before reopening the documents folder. There was no harm in checking that the files had saved correctly, was there?

It certainly wasn't snooping. Nope. Not at all.

The first few documents were just more of the standard sums and calculations that Joey had come to expect, but after a while, he stumbled across a file that was … different. The first page showed an address, and a quick google search revealed that it had been an orphanage before a fire burned it down a few years ago. Filled with curiosity, Joey scrolled down the document, and his eyes widened when he saw a photo. It depicted two young boys grinning up at the camera, the shorter with long dark hair and dark eyes, the taller with short brown hair and a sharp blue gaze that even then was piercing.

Mokuba and Seto Kaiba.

A very _young_ Mokuba and Seto Kaiba.

Joey leaned back in his chair, his eyes dimming a little. He was captivated by the sight of such a young Seto, looking so carefree and happy. He had never seen Seto smile like that. _What happened to him, to turn that smiling child into such a cold businessman?_ Of course, Joey knew bits of Seto's past from the crazy virtual game that Noah Kaiba had trapped them in. He shuddered at the memory of the monstrous form of Seto's adoptive father. How bad would his childhood have had to be, to turn such a happy boy into the Seto Kaiba that Joey knew?

He shouldn't look any further.

Joey fought with himself. He really shouldn't look any further. He should close the file and act like he'd never seen it. This was true invasion of Seto's privacy.

But…

Joey would never get a chance like this again. He highly doubted that Seto would ever willingly _tell_ him about his past – Joey knew he never would, if the situation was reversed – and so, if he wanted to know, this would be his only opportunity.

Joey battled for a few more minutes before he scrolled onto the next page.

More photos of Seto and Mokuba, both looking happy. They went right back to when Mokuba was a baby, Seto standing over him with a thoroughly confused expression on his small face. Joey couldn't help but grin.

On to the next page, and now there was a woman crouched in between the two boys. Her eyes were the same piercing shade of blue as Seto's, her long hair pulled back into a ponytail, and she was smiling straight at the camera. Mokuba was smiling at the camera too, but Seto was staring up at the woman.

Joey's stomach flipped.

He went on through the photos, but then they suddenly stopped, and a news column replaced them. It depicted a violent car crash in which five people had died, including a young couple who left behind two sons.

The next photo was of Seto and Mokuba in the orphanage.

Joey's breathing became a little ragged as he continued clicking through the file. There were only a few more photos, and in them, Seto's blue eyes had begun to gain the steel that they still held today. When he reached the end, Joey quickly closed the file and wiped the history of the laptop. He dreaded to think what Seto would do if he ever found out that Joey had seen that file.

Joey closed his eyes. Now, he felt he understood Seto's attitude a little better. No wonder he was always so bitter and distrustful – he had suffered more loss than most. And from Noah's virtual world, Joey could guess that his adoptive father had not been an exemplary role model. Joey sympathised with that, shuddering when he thought of his own father's drunken rages.

Joey held a lot more respect for Kaiba now.

After a few minutes, Joey moved on to click open some other folders. Most of them continued to be figures and coding of some sort or other, but there was one other that made Joey grin. It was some kind of personnel file, and it had a page on Seto Kaiba himself. It listed the address of the Kaiba mansion and several other contact information, including Kaiba's personal phone number. Joey smirked and reached for a pen and paper.

Perhaps tonight wouldn't be the last time he saw Kaiba, after all.

…

Seto entered the shop just the same as ever that evening. His long white coat flared out around his shoulders and ankles, his expression stoical as he nodded at Karin. She let him straight through into the back without comment. Seto moved to Joey's office and opened the door, leaning against the frame with a smirk. Joey was taking a call this time, speaking into his headset.

"Yeah, just try turning it off and on again." His tone sounded strained. "No, I assure ya, it ain't gonna set your home on fire if you unplug it."

Seto held back a chuckle. Joey hadn't noticed him yet, and he didn't want to give the poor mutt a heart attack.

"The plug is the part that attaches the wire to the wall." Joey's patience was clearly being tested, as his fingers began to drum against the desk. "Follow the wire from your computer and you'll find it … yeah, it's the part with the spikes attached."

In the slight gap that followed, Seto walked forwards quietly, closing the gap between them. He reached out a hand and placed it firmly on Joey's shoulder.

The reaction was priceless.

Joey all-out yelped, jumping straight to his feet violently enough to send his chair rocketing backwards. His knee jolted against his desk, which sent its various contents sliding straight onto the floor with a _crash_. Joey himself swore loudly, rubbing his leg as he turned to send Kaiba a death glare.

Seto smirked back. "Hi."

Joey's glare spoke volumes as he adjusted his headset, speaking into the microphone again. "Naa, madam, everything is fine. Have you found the plug?"

Seto's smirk only grew. He turned and recovered Joey's desk chair, taking a seat in it himself and stretching his legs out in front of him. He laced his fingers together and spun to fix Joey with his usual stern blue stare.

Joey continued to glare at him. "Yeah, once you've unplugged it, wait five minutes and then plug it back in. That should get your system starting again." A pause. "No, which socket you use doesn't matter. Just wait five minutes, plug it back in, then give us a call back if it still isn't working, alright? Bye now." Joey ended the call and flung his headset onto his desk before advancing on Seto with narrowed eyes. "The hell are you playing at?"

"Oh, come on, mutt," Seto responded with a smug smirk. "Even you have to admit that was funny."

Joey's lips twitched, but he folded his arms crossly. "Yeah, well, I could do without your sense of humour."

"I'm sure." Seto leaned back in Joey's chair, crossing his legs. "How's my laptop?"

Joey's eyes dimmed for an instant before he plastered his usual grin back on his face. "Good as new, just like I promised ya." He spun around to face his desk and scooped up the laptop, its shiny black casing looking just the same as ever.

Seto arched a brow. "You fixed it?"

"Uh huh. Last scan finished this morning." Joey opened the lid and placed it on the desk, beckoning Seto forwards. "Wanna try it out?"

"…No. I trust you." Seto rose to his feet and crossed to stand beside Joey. His palm landed beside Joey's on the laptop and firmly closed the lid of the laptop again.

Joey blinked up at him. Seto's scent was surrounding him again, and Joey had to resist the urge to lean in closer. He shook his head and grinned. "Ah, you trust me? Makes a change."

"Don't let it go to your head, mutt." Seto reached for his silver briefcase and slid his laptop back into its proper place.

Joey snickered. He leaned back against his desk and jammed his hands into his pockets, sending Seto a sidelong glance. "Whaddya say, one last duel before you get outta my hair for good?"

Seto smirked. "If you want to humiliate yourself again."

"Careful, moneybags, I won before."

"Fluke."

"Was not!"

The two set up their usual makeshift arena on the floor, sitting opposite each other as they began to play. Seto won again, of course, but it was a good duel lasting a good hour. Seto only had 90 life points left by the time he finally wiped out Joey's.

Joey folded his arms, an almost-pout at his lips. "Ya just got lucky."

"Please, Wheeler." Seto rolled his eyes as he collected up his cards. "Don't be a sore loser."

Joey snorted. "Coming from _you_?"

Seto sent a baleful blue stare right into Joey's eyes. He paused for a moment. Joey was grinning at him in the way that made his entire face light up, his blond hair sticking up just as messily as ever. A strand of it had been caught behind his ear from the headset he was wearing earlier. His brown eyes were glittering as they met Seto's own, and Seto felt an odd sort of twinge deep in his gut. He swallowed.

"You've gotta lot of nerve, rich boy." Joey shook his head, getting to his feet and offering a hand to Seto. Seto also rose, and he grasped Joey's hand, shaking it firmly.

They continued to stare at each other.

"I suppose this is the last time I'll be here." Seto finally broke the silence. His voice was as monotone as ever.

Joey jerked his head in a nod. "Unless you ever wanna stop by for a rematch."

"You never tired of humiliating yourself, do you?"

"I dunno," Joey shrugged, his brown eyes twinkling, "I might beat ya again."

Seto allowed himself a smile. "In your dreams, mutt."

"You said that last time." Joey shook his head and turned to his desk, pulling out his chair. "Goodbye, Seto."

Seto paused in the doorway, casting a long look back at Joey. His blond head was turned away, his lean body folded in on itself as he sat back down at his desk.

Seto swallowed, turned, and left.

"Bye, Joey."

…

The next morning, Seto arrived into work early. He sent a courteous nod in Kato's direction before proceeding through the sliding glass doors into his own office and taking a seat at his vast, spacious desk. Everything was perfectly ordered, as per usual. Seto placed his silver briefcase up on the desk and opened it, reaching in to bring out his laptop. He had yet to switch it back on since Joey had assured him it was fixed. Seto almost found himself smiling again when he remembered the way Joey's chest had puffed out with pride as he presented Seto with the fixed laptop.

He certainly was not missing the blond fool, though.

Not at all.

Cautiously, Seto opened the lid to his laptop and pressed the power button, pleased when the machine instantly whirred to life. The login screen flashed up. Seto made a mental note to change the passcodes as he signed himself in – he didn't want Joey having access to his security codes.

Not that he really believed Joey would use them. It was just better not to run the risk.

Once the laptop had finished loading, Seto smiled at his familiar blue-eyes background. He clicked onto his documents folder and scrolled through the contents, pleased when everything seemed to be in order. A few of his more recent documents were not immediately evident, but Joey had warned him that he may not be able to save everything. As far as it went, Seto had to admit that Joey had done a good job.

With a small shake of his head, Seto forced his thoughts away from Joey and clicked open his coding programme. It was time to get back to work.

Several hours later, Seto rose to his feet and ushered in some of his managers. Now he had his laptop back, he could finally pull up his figures and discuss with them the future delegations for the next month. It was a dull job, but a necessary one. As Seto listened to two of the managers bickering over exactly who deserved control over a tiny, insignificant element of the business, Seto felt his head beginning to drop. Managing _people_ was his least favourite part of running a business.

There was a buzz from inside his coat.

Giving his head a shake, Seto subtly reached inside his coat and brought his phone down onto his lap. He glanced down at the text: unknown number. Hmm. This was Seto's personal mobile – he had the number sealed and protected by every means possible. There was no way someone could have just stumbled across it.

He clicked open the text.

 _Hey moneybags miss losing to me yet?_

Seto smirked. He would have recognised that tone anywhere. Even in writing, he could practically hear Joey's irritating accent. He saved the number under 'mutt' before typing out a response.

 _Have you come back for more humiliation?_

It didn't take long for Seto's phone to buzz with a response. He kept his phone hidden under his desk, out of sight of the others in the meeting, as he read the message.

 _Ha you just won't admit you lost to me_

 _Your memory is a little off. How did you get my number?_

 _I had access to your laptop_

Seto paused, his eyes narrowing. That little rogue! He _knew_ he shouldn't have given him his security information.

 _It seems I need to change my passcodes._

 _Ah man no need to do that you trust me right?_

Seto snorted, attracting some odd looks from his colleagues. He put his phone away and leaned forwards, redirecting his attention to the meeting for the time being. Poking fun at Joey could wait until later.

He found himself unreasonably pleased at that thought.

Once the meeting was over and Seto again found himself alone in his office, he pulled out his phone and typed out a response.

 _Sorry, I was in a meeting. And you've lost my trust now that I see you stole my phone number._

Joey's reply came after a few minutes.

 _Well I could hardly ask for it_

Seto arched a brow.

 _As if I'd give my number to a mutt like you._

 _Exactly that's why I had to use other methods_

 _And you texted me at work? Couldn't you have waited until this evening?_

 _Well you walked into my office all the time so it only seemed fair_

Seto snorted at that.

…

That evening, Seto stretched out on the couch with his phone lying on the table beside him and a book open on his lap. It was an old favourite, a novel he'd read a hundred times throughout his childhood, but sometimes after a long day Seto liked to curl up with the familiar words and give his racing mind a break.

Being a genius could be tough.

For the fourth time that hour, Seto leaned over and pressed the screen of his phone to check his notifications. Joey hadn't responded to his last text, and that had been over an hour ago. Seto knew he was probably dealing with his sister or something at home, but still, he was a bit irritated that Wheeler wasn't giving him his full attention.

Not that he really cared.

Seto turned a page of his book, his gaze idly wandering down the familiar passages, when Mokuba appeared at the door. He bounced to Seto's side. "Hey, mind if I play some games in here?"

Seto shook his head absent-mindedly.

Mokuba shoved Seto's legs out of the way so he could settle onto the couch, grabbing the controllers and remotes. He switched onto his latest obsession, which was some sort of game involving guns and ghosts that Seto preferred not to ask about. He turned another page of his book, trying to ignore the sounds of death and screams from the TV.

"Who're you expecting to call?"

"Mm?" Seto lifted his head to send Mokuba a quizzical glance.

"You've checked your phone seven times in the last half-hour. Who are you expecting to call?"

"Oh." Seto glanced at his mobile, quickly placing it back on the table. "No one."

"Yeah, right." Mokuba chuckled. "Now you're blushing like a schoolgirl."

"Mokuba." Seto's tone turned stern.

"Is it Joey?" The younger Kaiba guessed shrewdly, leaning sideways on his controller as he dodged around a ghost.

Seto spluttered.

"It is, isn't it?" Mokuba paused for just long enough to send Seto a smug grin before he turned back to his game.

Seto frowned at him. "How did you know?"

"Because you spent more time with him over the past week than you've ever voluntarily spent with _anyone_."

Seto looked mildly hurt. "I spend time with you."

"I'm your brother – you have to, or it's neglect." Mokuba flicked his unruly long hair over his shoulder, eyes fixed on the screen even as he continued the conversation. "When did you give him your number?"

"I didn't." Seto turned back to his book, lifting it stubbornly in front of his face. "And I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"You can't avoid _love_ , Seto!" Mokuba burst out laughing, but it turned into a shriek when Seto kicked him in the side. "Hey!"

"You should know better than to tease me by now."

"But it's so much fun." Mokuba fired a round of shots at the next bunch of ghosts, his face creased in concentration. "By the way, Joey's sister joined my literature class today."

"Mm?" Seto kept his eyes firmly on his book.

"Yeah, she got moved up a set. Sat by me. She's nice."

"I didn't realise you were the same age."

"I didn't either." Mokuba swerved another corner in his game, giving a little whoop. "In Battle City I just kinda assumed she was younger than me."

"Oh really? I thought she was older."

"Seto!" Mokuba sounded crestfallen.

"What?" Seto sent his younger brother a smooth smile. "I can't help that you got the short gene."

Mokuba glared. "Just because you're freakishly tall doesn't make me short!"

"I beg to differ. So does the universe."

"Shut up!"

Seto chuckled, but Mokuba was saved a response by the buzz of his phone. Finally. Seto put down his book and reached for it, opening up the message. It was from Joey again.

 _Just got back to my mansion. Bet it's bigger than yours moneybags_

Seto smirked as he typed out a suitable response.

 _From what I remember, your apartment was in a bit of a small building_.

 _Eh and your mansion must be giant. You compensating for something?_

Seto rolled his eyes.

 _I assure you, I have absolutely nothing to compensate for._

 _Sure ya don't moneybags_

 _Want me to prove it to you?_

 _Why Kaiba how could you be so forward_

Seto snorted softly, making Mokuba turn his head. His big brother didn't notice, however, totally absorbed in his phone. His blue eyes were softer than Mokuba usually saw them, and was that Seto smiling? It was so unusual to see Seto being expressive with anyone other than Mokuba himself, and he could tell that his brother was enjoying whatever conversation he was having with Joey. It was good to see. Mokuba sometimes felt a tug of guilt that his big brother had given up so much of his life to work, in order to give Mokuba a better life. It was about time he did something good for Seto in return.

Mokuba narrowed his eyes a little and he grinned, beginning to concoct a plan in his mind.

 **A slight cliffhanger in a filler-y chapter, I apologise, especially as I'm going away for a bit tomorrow so the next update might take a while. It will happen soon enough though, I promise. Thanks for reading so far, and stick with me – Jem**


	7. Chapter 7

**Those of you still here – thank you! We're getting closer to the ending of this story now. As I'm going out of the country on Sunday, I hope to get the last three chapters up before then, so not long until the ending will be up. I hope you enjoy, and thanks to all reviewers/readers! – Jem**

 **Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is still Kazuki Takahashi's, and he is the one who must be sent many fangirls**

Mokuba left the classroom as fast as he could once the school lunch break was announced. Usually, he would go and sit in the dining hall and chat with his friends – there were a few of them, being rich had its upsides – but today was different. Today, Mokuba was on a mission.

He wended his way through the throngs of students, waving and grinning to those he recognised. Most people knew who he was. Being the younger brother of Seto Kaiba had given Mokuba rather a public profile, and the fact that he was a lot more approachable than his brother had made him more likable, too. It was easy to be popular when you were being compared to someone who could freeze glaciers in their tracks with a single stare.

Mokuba kept moving until he finally made his way out onto the grassy playing field. There was a large cluster of trees that hugged the edge of the field, and it was the favoured place of a select group of girls to sit and giggle the lunchtime away. Mokuba headed straight for them. He turned quite a few heads on his way, but Mokuba didn't really mind school gossip – he found it more amusing than anything, as long as it wasn't harmful.

As Mokuba neared the group, he spotted the auburn-haired girl he had been after. "Serenity?"

The entire group gasped and turned their heads.

Serenity herself was seated near the back, sitting on her palms with a slightly shy smile. She had never been a very outgoing girl, and her years in hospital had left her awkward in social situations. She blinked up at the younger Kaiba. "Um … Mokuba?"

"Yeah, that's me." Mokuba sent her an easy smile. "Could I talk to you for a sec?"

Serenity glanced at the girls beside her. "Um…"

"It'll be real quick, I promise." Mokuba turned up the sunny settings on his smile.

Serenity bit her lip, looked back up at him, and nodded tentatively. "Uh, sure … I guess…"

Amongst whispers from the other girls, Serenity got to her feet, tugged her skirt down, and walked after Mokuba across the grass. He smiled at her again, sensing her nerves, and led her quickly away from the majority of the crowds onto a bench in a sunny spot by one of the classrooms. Serenity sat down opposite him, tilting her head.

Mokuba leaned towards her. "I'll be quick, so I don't keep you too long. I want to talk about our brothers."

"Our brothers?" Serenity blinked. "Joey and … and Mr. Kaiba?"

Mokuba snorted. "Just call him Seto, seriously."

Serenity gave a tentative smile. "I don't think I'd dare."

"He isn't that bad, honestly." Mokuba held his hands up, palms facing outwards. "And I'm not just saying that because he's my brother."

"Well, you would know, I suppose. He just always looked so … intimidating." Serenity wrapped her arms around herself with a shiver.

Mokuba grinned. "He looks it, but on the inside he's just a big pushover. Trust me."

"Alright." Serenity couldn't help but smile back – Mokuba had an infectious grin. "What did you want to talk about them for?"

Mokuba leaned towards her, his expression turning a little more serious. "Have you noticed Joey mentioning Seto more recently? Or has he been behaving a bit weird?"

Serenity blinked. "Um … well, he was fixing Mr. Kai … um … _Seto's_ laptop."

Mokuba nodded.

"And…" Serenity frowned slightly. "Well … no, it couldn't be…"

"What?"

Serenity sent Mokuba a confused glance. "Joey's been really … happy."

Mokuba arched a brow. "…You're saying that like it's a bad thing."

"It might be." Serenity sighed and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Joey … he reacts to bad situations by getting really positive for no apparent reason. And lately, he's been _really_ happy. He even cooked!"

Mokuba couldn't help but smile. "Let me guess – has he been on his phone a lot more too?"

Serenity nodded. "Yeah, I wondered who he was texting all the time. He and Seto haven't fallen out, have they?" She looked worried, a deep crease appearing in her forehead.

Mokuba threw his head back and laughed. "No … n-no, I don't think so! I think the opposite, actually."

Serenity blinked. "What?"

"Well, I don't know about Joey," Mokuba admitted, "But Seto definitely. He _likes_ Joey."

Serenity failed to understand. "…But they're always arguing."

"That's part of it." Mokuba smirked. "I mean, _like_ likes."

Serenity still looked blank.

"You know. More than friends likes."

"Oh!" Serenity's eyes went wide with shock. She leaned forwards, her eyes narrowing slightly. "…Wait, seriously? _Seto_?!"

Mokuba leaned back with a smirk. "I know. It's almost adorable."

Serenity rubbed her chin, her eyes narrowing slightly as she thought. "Hm … well, I'm not sure about Joey. I suppose it would explain his mood…"

"And he's constantly checking his phone?" Mokuba grinned. "He should be, with the amount of times he's been texting my brother."

"So it's Seto that he's constantly on the phone to?"

Mokuba nodded. "They talk way more than most normal people would. More than I chat to my friends, anyway."

Serenity leaned back. "…Huh." She paused for a few moments before she suddenly grinned. "That's brilliant. I never even knew Joey looked at guys in that way."

"I never knew Seto looked at _anyone_ in that way," Mokuba grinned, "But Joey seems to have got through to him. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Serenity glanced at Mokuba through her lashes. "…Are you planning something?"

Mokuba's dark eyes gained an evil tint. "I might just be, yes."

…

Throughout the rest of that week, Joey was frequently caught up in text conversations with Kaiba. Honestly, he hadn't been entirely sure if the CEO would even respond to his first text, but he had been very pleasantly surprised when not only had Seto responded, but he actively continued the conversation. For some reason, that made Joey feel very warm.

Karin had reprimanded him at work more than once for spending too much time on his phone. She had ended up spending a lot of her time yelling at him, but Joey didn't mind too much, knowing it was a good way for her to relieve some of her stress from home. Usually, he would sit through it until she calmed down enough for him to talk.

"Is it still about Seb?"

Karin deflated. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, her forehead creasing into wrinkles. "…Yeah. He came home last night but was gone again by this morning."

Joey leaned closer sympathetically. "At least you know he's still out there somewhere."

"I suppose." Karin looked Joey straight in the eyes, and they were shining slightly. "Am I just a horrible mother?"

"No." Joey's response was fierce and instant. He got to his feet and crossed to Karin's side, gently taking her elbow. "A bad mother abandons her kids. You're out looking for him."

Karin drew in a careful breath, nodding. "…Actually, would you mind if I went out for a bit now?"

"Sure, I can hold the fort here."

Karin had flashed him a grateful glance before exiting the shop. Joey watched her go with his eyes clouding over, thoughts of his own mother flashing through his skull. She had taken Serenity away and left Joey completely alone to deal with his abusive, drunken father.

Joey still hadn't forgiven her for that.

 _At least now I've got Serenity back,_ Joey reminded himself fiercely. _She chose me over both our useless parents._ He clung to that thought like a talisman, allowing it to warm his insides. He knew he wasn't totally alone in the world.

And then his phone buzzed with another text from Seto.

Joey felt a smile spread across his lips without his bidding. He scooped up his phone and sat back down in his office chair, preparing to respond.

No, he wasn't alone.

…

The rest of the week passed by in much the same fashion. Joey was even more jovial than usual, and it was extremely rare to see him without a smile decorating his face. He whistled tunelessly as he went about his everyday business, and he still made more of an effort with cooking than normal (though he did nothing to clean the apartment). It was at the weekend when Serenity approached him, her eyes bright. "Hey, Joey? Are you busy today?"

"Eh…" Joey thought for a moment as he fried up some eggs for their breakfast. "Naa, I don't think so. Why?"

"I was wondering if we could go to the park." Serenity put on her best pleading expression.

"The park?" Joey sent her a grin. "You wanna feed the ducks or something?"

Serenity prodded him. "No, idiot. But there's a festival on at the indoor arena there…"

"…It's not some dumb boy band, is it?" Joey asked with a pained expression.

Serenity shook her head. "No, no, nothing like that. But there's loads of different stalls, and I wanted to see if there was anything good I could get for my birthday…"

Joey deliberated for a while longer, casting his eyes up to the ceiling. He had sort of wanted to stay in for the day (and keep very near to his phone), but Serenity kept her wide blue eyes trained on him the whole time they were eating breakfast. That gaze had always worked on Joey.

"Please please please please…"

"Alright, alright!" Joey eventually relented, leaning over to ruffle Serenity's hair.

Serenity grinned. "I knew I could count on you."

…

Meanwhile, in the Kaiba mansion, Mokuba was having a very similar conversation with Seto as they both sat at the dining table.

"But it's got games, and stalls, and a market, and massive screens…" Mokuba leaned forwards, his dark eyes wider than normal and his expression entirely innocent. He had always been a good actor.

Seto barely even glanced up from his newspaper. "No."

"But it's got _games_!" Mokuba tried again. He leaned even closer, placing both hands flat on the table-top as he stared eagerly at his brother. "And all the newest consoles!"

"I said no, Mokuba."

Mokuba pouted. "Fine, make it a business venture. I bet some of the gaming companies would be interested in your new design."

Seto peered over the edge of the newspaper to lift a brow in Mokuba's direction. "I have better ways to set up business meetings."

"But _Seto_ ," Mokuba sounded exasperated now, "This way you could introduce yourself personally!"

Seto lifted the newspaper to cover his face again. "If you want to go that badly, I'm sure the driver will take you."

"But then I'd have to walk around all the stalls on my own!" Mokuba sniffed.

"I'm sure he'd accompany you."

"I don't want to be walking around with someone I _hired_ ," Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Then it looks like I only have friends because I can pay for them."

Seto smirked behind the paper. "Don't you?"

A piece of toast was flung straight at his head.

Seto grimaced, putting down his paper to reach up and wipe the mix of butter and jam out of his hair. He was feeling vaguely irritated – it was a Sunday, so Mokuba forbade him from going into work, even though Seto was itching to get on with coding the new game. It had already been delayed for far too long after the debacle of his laptop breaking. Although that had been worth it in order to see Joey again, Seto was now ready to get on with moving his company to the next stage, not floundering around some festival with his overenthusiastic brother.

…Wait, no. His laptop breaking had not been worth it. It had been nothing but an inconvenience.

"Seriously though, Seto," Mokuba continued, "There are going to be some really neat games. I won't get to try them anywhere else."

Seto sighed. He reached into his pocket and extracted his phone, glancing down at the blank screen with a small frown. "I can give you maybe an hour."

"I'll take it." Mokuba jumped up with an eager grin, hiding the mischief from his eyes. That had been the hardest part of the plan – getting Seto to agree to coming with him. Serenity had assured him that Joey wouldn't be a problem, and once the two of them were together, Mokuba wanted to watch and see if his shrewd guess had any founding.

Plus, it would be fun to watch Seto squirm.

…

The park was bustling. There actually was a festival on inside the arena, and rows and rows of stalls had arrived to set up, each doing their utmost to attract the crowds. Food marketers barbequed with all kinds of spices, setting the air alight with mixed, exotic scents. Music blared out from speakers that had been set up out around the indoor centre, the trees of the park outside decorated with lights, and large screens displaying the latest games flashed at various intervals.

Mokuba was actually really enjoying himself.

He dragged Seto around every gaming station, his dark eyes bright at the prospect of getting to try out the newest systems. Sure, he had access to Kaiba Corp.'s various technology, but Mokuba liked to check out the competition too. Seto never let him buy from them, though. Both Kaiba brothers were currently leaning their heads together over a new type of card game.

"It looks kind of cool," Mokuba commented as he flicked over a page of card designs.

A slight crease appeared in Seto's brow. "Same basic premise as every other card game."

"I think that's a little harsh, Seto."

"Well, you are the nice one." Seto closed the book with a snap and smirked. "This game's almost as bad a copy as Dungeon Dice Monsters."

"Hey, I quite liked Duke's game." Mokuba flashed a smile at the stall owner, who looked extremely faint at the sight of _the_ Kaiba brothers exploring her game. He turned back to his brother. "It was fun."

"Mokuba, if you keep saying things like that, I'm sending you to a psychologist." Seto strode calmly away from the stall, one hand in his pocket as his other held his phone.

Mokuba snorted and scurried along by his side. "You're just biased against anything that doesn't have a blue eyes."

"Perhaps." Seto glanced around the rest of the festival, his blue eyes narrowed in the sunlight. It warmed his pale skin. Seto hardly ever went out in the sunlit hours, usually cooped up in his office, and he begrudgingly had to admit that he was almost enjoying himself. The games on display here were better than he had imagined.

"Speaking of blue eyes," Mokuba continued with a tug to Seto's sleeve, "I think there actually is a Duel Monsters' stall over there. C'mon!"

Seto sighed, but allowed himself to be dragged back inside the centre. The crowds of people broke before the sight of the Kaiba brothers - with Seto's height, it was hard to miss them – so it didn't take them long to wend their way through to the middle, even with Mokuba stopping every time something flashy caught his eye. Sure enough, planted in a row of games stalls, there sat a display of Duel Monsters' cards.

Mokuba rushed over to the manuals, flicking through them with a grin. Seto followed at a slight distance, casting a disinterested look over his younger brother's shoulder. Seto hadn't needed to buy cards in this conventional way since before they were adopted – usually, he just ordered them. His duelling prowess had been well known even back then.

"I actually haven't seen some of these before," Mokuba remarked happily.

Seto folded his arms. "That's because you don't keep up with the game."

"Hey! I do!"

"Watching the Card Game channel doesn't count." Seto rolled his eyes and leaned back against the stall, ignoring the stares he attracted from the crowds passing by. However, there was a slight gasp from behind him as the stall owner crossed to their side. She stood with her mouth agape.

"S-Seto Kaiba?!"

Seto turned.

The stall owner slipped back a step, one hand pressing to her mouth. Her grey eyes were wide as she stared straight at him, her hair pulled back into a messy bun. "By God, it's _the_ Seto Kaiba!"

Seto folded his arms and resisted the urge to turn and walk away. Even he wasn't _that_ rude. "Yes."

"But I – why, I've watched you duel since you were tiny!" The woman's tone was almost turning motherly. Seto grimaced. She approached them with a winning smile, eyes falling on Mokuba. "And this must be your brother, of course. But what on earth are you doing at my little shop?"

Mokuba elbowed Seto in the ribs before he could say anything, and smiled brightly up at the woman. "Oh, we were just checking out some of your cards."

Seto sent his brother an icy glare.

"Well, I am honoured, I'm sure!" The woman ducked her head in an almost-bow. "Though I can't imagine I have anything that would interest _Seto Kaiba_."

"You would be right."

"Seto!" Mokuba elbowed him again and Seto winced. "He doesn't mean it."

"I can speak for myself, Mokuba." Seto turned away with a disinterested sigh, pulling his phone out of his pocket again. There were still no new messages. He left Mokuba chatting with the woman and turned back to the card manuals, glancing idly through the selection. Nothing he hadn't seen before, and certainly _nothing_ to match his three precious blue eyes.

"Huh. I should'a known _you_ would turn up at the Duel Monsters' stall."

Seto froze at that familiar voice. Trying to ignore the way his long coat suddenly felt too warm, he turned his head and, sure enough, saw none other than Joey Wheeler standing behind him. He was sporting the same jovial grin as always, and his blond hair still looked like it had never even heard of a comb.

Joey approached Seto with a grin. "What're ya doing, trying to add another blue eyes to ya collection?"

"Please," Seto folded his arms, "You know as well as I do that I own all the ones in existence."

"Yeah, and you ripped up the one you couldn't use." Joey shook his head, though he was still grinning. "That shows some real issues with that card, ya know."

"Shut up." Seto allowed a smirk to tug at one corner of his mouth. "Or should I bring up your attachment to Scapegoat again?"

Joey wagged a finger. "Hey now, don't go knocking Scapegoat. Not my favourite card, though."

"Oh?"

Joey shook his head. "Nothing beats my red eyes."

Seto glanced up at the ceiling. "A fine dragon, of course, but nowhere near as powerful as its blue-eyed cousin."

Joey snorted. "Well, you would say that, moneybags."

"It's an irrefutable fact."

Joey merely scoffed again, tilting his head in Seto's direction. "What're ya doing at an event like this, anyway?"

"Mokuba wanted to come."

Joey grinned. "Ah. I didn't think this was really your sort of scene."

Seto closed his eyes briefly. "Believe me, I would rather be anywhere else."

"I bet." There was laughter in Joey's voice. "I'm surprised you're not at your office."

"Mokuba doesn't let me work on Sundays."

"Good for him." Joey nodded approvingly. "Gives yer laptop a break too."

Seto smirked. " _Please_ don't tell me you're missing it."

"Well," Joey's brown eyes were alight with humour, "She is a pretty sleek model."

"Perhaps I should give you visiting hours."

Joey grinned and moved to Seto's side, reaching for the card manual. He could sense Seto's sharp eyes following him, and he would be lying if he said that didn't make him shiver a little. Texting just wasn't the same as actually being in Seto's presence – he held a strange charisma that demanded attention. It was always an effort for Joey to look away.

"So what kinda cards do they have here?" Joey turned a page in the manual. "Not that I'd ever cheat on Yugi's grandpa."

"I don't want to hear about you and that worthless old fool," Seto responded dryly.

Joey sent Seto a glare. "He's a decent guy and he trained me, so shut it, moneybags."

"He can't be that good then."

"He _also_ trained Yugi," Joey pointed out with a smug grin, "And both he and I have beaten you."

"You fluked, and Yugi…" Seto trailed off and folded his arms, blue eyes still trained on Joey's face. "…Besides, I beat Yugi's grandpa a long time ago."

"Yeah, 'cos you _kidnapped_ him." Joey shook his head, a grin still playing about his lips as he turned another page, scanning the cards. The selection was more limited than the cards in the Game Shop, but it was still fun to glance through them.

There was another gasp from the woman running the stall when she looked away from Mokuba and saw another Battle City duellist gracing her shop with his presence.

" _Joey Wheeler_?!" Her voice carried the same amount of awe as it had when she uttered Seto's name. " _The_ Joey Wheeler?!"

Joey blinked and looked up, confused. "…Ah … yeah?"

"Joey Wheeler!" The woman beamed and approached him. "My goodness, it is you! I watched you all through the Battle City finals!"

"Ya did?" Joey grinned suddenly, his brown eyes lighting up.

She nodded. "I secretly wanted you to win, only don't tell the others that." She glanced at Seto, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "I always liked the underdog."

"I was not the underdog!" Joey sounded wounded.

Seto couldn't keep the smirk off his face.

Joey noticed and glared at him, jamming his hands into his pockets. "I wasn't! I nearly won against that Marik jerk, which is more than _you_ can say."

Seto's smirk didn't slip. "Again: fluke."

"I can't have fluked _every_ time I won!"

"Good job you don't win too often then."

Joey whacked Seto in the ribs, tossing his head back with a sniff. "I still beat you the other week."

Seto merely rolled his eyes and settled back against the stall again beside Joey. The noises of the festival washed over them, the crowds' loud conversations and heavy footfalls seeming almost distant. Joey turned his head slightly, just catching a glimpse of Seto's profile. Everything about the way he carried himself echoed a proud individual – someone who faced their problems head-on. His steely blue eyes were cold, his expression set and stoical, and Joey was sure that someone seeing Seto for the first time would instinctively back away a few steps. Joey found himself remembering the photos of the young Seto he had seen on Seto's laptop, and once again wondered just exactly what could happen in someone's life to turn them into … this.

Seto, as if sensing he was being watched, turned his head. His blue gaze crashed onto Joey's, and Joey tensed a little, warming up at the prospect of being caught staring. And yet, he did not look away. Seto's expression was as unreadable as ever, but he didn't reprimand Joey or put some distance between them. Nor did they bicker. They simply looked, and Joey found himself incapable of looking away. He gravitated just an inch nearer Seto, and thought he caught a flicker of _something_ in Seto's eyes, when…

"Hey, Seto, did you find … oh, hey, Joey!"

Mokuba's voice crashed into their world and Joey instantly drew back. He shook his head, turning to see the younger Kaiba stood barely a foot away with a knowing grin on his face. Joey coughed. "Hey, Mokuba."

"I didn't know you were coming today." There was an edge to Mokuba's voice, but he hid it behind another grin.

Joey shrugged. "Didn't know I was until this morning."

"Really? What made you want to come then?"

"Serenity." Joey rolled his eyes and leaned back. "She found some anime stall or other, though, so I left her there."

"Oh, that's cool."

Seto's eyes narrowed. This was all sounding a bit … familiar. A bit familiar and a bit … _convenient._ He glanced at his brother and noticed the slight mischievous gleam to Mokuba's dark eyes. Seto's eyes narrowed even further. "…Mokuba, did you say Serenity was in one of your classes now?"

"Huh?" Mokuba blinked and put on his best innocent face. "Yeah, my maths set."

Joey stirred. "Really? She never said."

Seto ignored him and approached Mokuba with a frown. "Did she happen to tell you that this festival was on today?"

"…No." Mokuba kept his tone even.

Seto glared at him. Hard.

Even Mokuba quailed under an expression that icy. He lifted his hands in the air. "Alright, alright, we might have planned to come here together."

"And why would you do such a thing?"

Mokuba shifted on his feet.

Seto's tone was even colder than normal. " _Mokuba_."

"Am I not allowed to meet up with other people my own age?" Mokuba answered defensively.

"You told me you had no one to come here with."

Mokuba scowled.

Seto folded his arms and intensified the glare he was directing at his younger brother. His body was coiled and tense, like a spring supporting too much weight. "Tell me the truth."

Mokuba lifted his chin, defiant. "I wanted to see if you and Joey were still talking, that's all."

Seto's hands clenched. Joey jerked at the sound of his own name, keeping a safe distance from the glaring Kaibas, although his eyes narrowed a bit. "Just what are you trying to say?"

Mokuba flicked a glance at Joey, then back at his brother, and then he folded his arms. "Serenity and I noticed you were texting, and…"

"And what?" Seto's voice was flat and unamused.

"I wanted to see if you'd still talk in person! And you'd never ask him yourself, so…"

Joey's eyes went wide as he started to piece together what he thought Mokuba was insinuating. He gave a half-laugh and backed up a step, lifting his hands palm-out. "Hey, wait up a sec. Are you saying this was a _set up_?"

Seto continued to glare at his brother.

Mokuba shifted again, glancing between them. "I guess … you could say that."

Silence reigned for a few moments.

Joey threw his head back and laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed, tears collecting at the corners of his eyes as he doubled over and clutched his stomach, resisting the urge to roll around. "You thought … me and _Kaiba_ … ahaha!"

Seto grew more and more tense.

Mokuba swallowed. He moved back half a step, gauging Joey's reaction, but Seto's arm reached out and held him firmly in place. "You are going nowhere."

"Just wait until I find Serenity." Joey straightened up and wiped the corners of his eyes, shaking his head. "How could she have got the wrong end of the stick?"

Seto paled. His voice, when he replied, was curter than Joey had become accustomed to. "Quite. Sorry this has inconvenienced you. I'll get Mokuba out of here."

"Hey, wait," Joey shook his head, still chuckling. "Don't punish him or nothing, Seto. I mean, today's still been fun."

Seto's eyes stayed harsh and cold. "Don't call me that."

Joey blinked.

"We're leaving now. I'd appreciate it if you didn't contact me again." Seto pressed firmly on Mokuba's shoulder and began to lead him away.

"Now wait just a minute." Joey's frown deepened and he strode after Seto, dodging around him to block their path. "Your brother misunderstands something, and now you're just gonna run away?"

Seto looked coolly into Joey's eyes. "Get out of the way."

"There's no need to get so pissed about a harmless misunderstanding."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "Move, Wheeler."

"What's the matter with you?" Joey glared back and stubbornly stood his ground.

Seto hissed. "It may just be a _harmless misunderstanding_ to you, mutt, but I don't appreciate being manipulated."

Joey gaped for a moment. "It was just a day in the park…"

"A day I never wanted, and certainly not one I planned on spending with _you_." Seto's tone was scathing.

Joey, despite himself, flinched.

Mokuba swallowed, glancing between them with his dark eyes wide. All trace of mischief in his expression had disappeared. "I ... I really didn't mean any harm…"

"Shut up, Mokuba," Seto ground out, "You've done enough damage."

Joey frowned. "Now, don't be so mean to your brother…"

"My family is none of your business, mutt."

Joey glared. "He's all you've got left since your parents' car crash, and you treat him like shit for tryn'a do something nice for you?"

Seto's knuckles turned white. Even Mokuba froze at that.

"What did you just say?" Seto asked in a deathly quiet voice.

"He's all you've got left since…" _Oh shit._ Joey trailed off and turned an unhealthy shade of grey. He wasn't supposed to know about the car crash. He wasn't even sure he was supposed to know their parents had died. If he hadn't read that stupid file…

"Wheeler." Seto wasn't even looking at Joey anymore; he was looking at some point far above Joey's head. "If you dare to say one more word to me ever again, I will – _personally_ – ensure that you never see the sunlight."

Joey gulped.

"Are we clear?"

"…Crystal." Joey backed up a step, biting down on his inner cheek.

Without another word, Seto turned on his heel and dragged Mokuba after him, his long white coat flaring around his tall, slim form. Joey swallowed, his stomach sinking further with every step they took.

 **Yeah … angst. Sorry. ^_^ Stick with me though, things get interesting from here on out. At least, I find them interesting. Also, this chapter has proven one and for all that I am not above cliché. There'll be an update soon. Thanks for reading! – Jem**


	8. Chapter 8

**Back again with more story to tell. I hope you're enjoying this, despite all that angst – it resolves, I promise, and the ending is nice and fluffy (I cannot abide a sad ending) - Jem**

 **Disclaimer: I still do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! because Kazuki Takahashi does. Direct all your praise his much-more-deserving way**

After that, Seto was out of Joey's life as surely as if he had never been in it.

No calls, no texts, no duels, no stupid laptop repairs. No constant bickering. No name-calling.

No nothing

Joey should have been happier about this.

He had always despised Seto, and he had made no secret of it, either. He hated how Seto had constantly looked down on him, refused to acknowledge him as a competent duellist, and called him names despite Joey saying repeatedly that they were disrespectful and cruel. Seto was an arrogant, narcissistic jerk who wasn't pleased with anything unless he had made it himself. Joey knew all this.

And yet…

In the midst of all their bickering, Joey had caught himself having _fun_. There was a reason he had always bugged Seto to duel him – he liked the taller man's attention, and he enjoyed their fights and digs at each other. It was stimulating. It was exciting. And it was fun.

And for a while there, Joey had been stupid enough to think that Seto might just be enjoying himself too. Otherwise, why would he have kept coming to the shop? It wasn't necessary to check on his laptop _that_ often, unless Seto really was that controlling. And it wasn't like Joey had forced him into those duels. As far as Joey could see, there was absolutely no reason why they couldn't carry on being … friends, or whatever the hell they were. Except Seto had mightily overreacted about the whole accidental-set-up thing. And then Joey had stupidly let slip that he knew how Seto's parents died…

That had crossed a line. Joey knew it had, but he was more than willing to pretend it had never happened. Why couldn't Seto do that too?

Joey had tried to send a text, but nothing he typed seemed to word the way he was feeling correctly. Besides, Seto had sounded frighteningly sincere when he threatened Joey never to contact him again.

No matter how badly Joey wanted to.

It had been fairly simple to piece together exactly what happened that day at the festival. After the Kaibas had stormed off, Joey had immediately run to Serenity and dragged her home, sitting her down to make her explain. It didn't take much to get her to spill – she had never been any good at keeping secrets from him.

"It was Mokuba's idea," she explained softly after hearing how Seto had reacted. "He thought you liked each other."

Joey rubbed the back of his head. "We did. I think."

Serenity shook her head with a soft smile. "He meant, like, more than just friends."

Joey snorted with laughter again at that. "I don't know what the hell gave him that idea."

Serenity shrugged, but her blue eyes watched Joey closely.

"I mean, can you imagine _Kaiba_ …?" Joey shook his head with another snort of laughter. "There's no way he'd _ever_ like someone in that way. And especially _me_!"

Serenity's eyes dimmed a little. "I don't know … from the way Mokuba was talking…"

"It's nonsense, sis."

"…Well…" Serenity sighed and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, glancing down at the table. "I guess it doesn't matter now."

"No. It doesn't."

"Although Mokuba seemed dead certain. He said Seto had been acting all strange around you."

Joey blinked. "He what?"

"Yeah." Serenity looked into the distance. "Like, he seemed happier after your conversations, and he'd turned a lot nicer since seeing more of you."

"…That doesn't mean anything…" Joey responded, but he sounded uncertain.

"I'm sure you're right. And it doesn't matter now."

"…Yeah…" But Joey had been left with a strange feeling sitting in his gut. It was the same sensation he'd had when he saw Seto walking away from him in the park – a feeling that made him want to run after Seto and do everything in his power to stop him from leaving.

But it didn't matter now.

…

Seto was fuming.

Nothing lately had been going his way. He barked at all his employees, growled at every interruption, and now his laptop had decided that this was the optimum moment in which to crash. Again. He had been in the middle of this month's calculations when the power cut out and the screen turned that familiar, soul-destroying shade of black again.

Seto refused to accept that he had probably been overworking it, just as Joey had warned.

 _Wheeler_. Seto tore his thoughts away from that pathetic mutt as fast as he could. He didn't want anything more to do with him, not since the debacle at the festival a few weekends ago. Seto still wasn't talking to Mokuba any more than he absolutely had to, either. The very notion that his younger brother had the cheek to try and set up something as stupid as that…

Seto tore his thoughts away with an irritated growl.

It wasn't as if he missed the mutt. Not at all. His phone hadn't buzzed with a single text since he had ordered Wheeler never to contact him again, and Seto found the peace and solitude refreshing. He had become far too accustomed to their constant bickering, but it was about time he got his head back down into his serious business. Work took precedence, always.

Seto pressed down on the power key in an attempt to restart his laptop, and he felt a small tug of relief when the loading screen appeared. At least he wouldn't have to bother with finding another repair shop. Seto's lip curled when he remembered Wheeler's tiny, filthy office – he was glad to never have to set foot in that place ever again. Even if it had been a good excuse to get his duelling deck out again, and Wheeler had actually proved a better opponent than Seto expected.

…He did not just think that.

Wheeler was a disgrace. He was a pathetic, worthless mutt that didn't deserve the time of day. And the _nerve_ of him, to bring up Seto's parents like that, _in a public place_! How had Wheeler even found out about the car crash? Seto was absolutely certain that he had never mentioned it in public before – he never even discussed it with Mokuba. The only place there was any sort of record of what had happened was…

…Oh.

His laptop. The file.

Seto punched in his (now updated) passcode as fast as he could, and once his desktop had loaded he pulled up the documents folder. A quick scroll revealed the right file. Seto glanced through its contents, wincing at the photos of himself and Mokuba when they were younger, in a happier time and at a happier place. There was even a photo of their mother before the newspaper cutting came up.

Seto closed the lid of the laptop with a _snap_.

The thought of Wheeler's grubby little hands in that file made Seto's blood boil. His pride would never bend far enough to contact the mutt again, but he was almost tempted to call up the idiot and give him a piece of his mind. Seto had trusted Joey – against his better judgement – and it seemed his initial thoughts had been correct. He couldn't trust Wheeler. He should never have trusted the mutt.

Even if he had begun to enjoy their interactions.

Seto had one good quality – he was always honest with himself. He could lie and cheat and steal to the rest of the world, but with himself, Seto knew his moral code and he knew his attitude. He could not deny that he had begun to enjoy Joey's company. The mutt had proven to have more of a personality than Seto had realised before – probably because he was always so focused on Yugi – but there was a lot more to him than a simple braindead monkey with an obsession with winning and an annoying accent. He was actually entertaining, and his reactions were amusing. Perhaps that was why Seto liked to provoke him so much – the results were always enjoyable.

And he had thought he began to feel … something else.

He would never class Wheeler as a _friend._ Seto Kaiba did not have friends. He had had that fact painfully pointed out to him on more than one occasion, and eventually, Seto had embraced it. Friends were useless distractions. No, what he had begun to feel for Wheeler ran a little deeper than that … it ran a little closer to his core. Whenever Joey looked at him with those bright brown eyes, Seto felt a tug in his direction. A tug that he had started to follow…

But it was clearly useless now. Joey had laughed aloud at the very _thought_ of Mokuba setting them up, which showed exactly what the mutt thought of any kind of relationship with Seto. It was stupid. Unthinkable.

Seto didn't like the way that made him feel. As if he was expendable. As if he was any other person, and not Seto Kaiba. People didn't _drop_ Seto Kaiba – he dropped them. He did not like this new feeling of … insecurity. Seto Kaiba was never insecure.

That was why he could have nothing more to do with Wheeler.

With a low, uncharacteristic growl, Seto opened his laptop and closed the file. He had allowed his thoughts to stray again. Seto closed any notion of Joey Wheeler away in a tiny corner of his mind and firmly locked the door on him, instead pulling up the document with this month's figures again. Predictably, it hadn't saved.

Seto got back to work with a scowl on his usual stoic face.

…

"Leave it, Serenity."

Joey was wearing a scowl as he set about preparing dinner for them both. He barely paid any attention to the various ingredients he was chucking in the pan, hoping that if he just fried them enough then the taste would go away.

Serenity was watching him with a worried glance. "But what actually _happened_?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"You can't tell me you almost got fired and then not expect me to ask about it."

"Then I never should have told ya in the first place." Joey angrily shook the frying pan over the hob, glaring at the flames dancing underneath it. Fiery, hot, and sooty – they matched his mood right now.

Serenity laid a gentle arm on his shoulder. "Joey, please…"

"Just leave it, sis."

Serenity shook her head, leaning against the counter by Joey's side. Her brother had not been acting like himself recently – he had been snappy, late for work, and he'd even shouted at her once. Serenity bit her lip. "I'm worried about you."

"Don't be." Joey caught a glimpse of his sister's expression and sighed, reaching out to pat her on the head. "Sorry, sis. I don't mean to worry ya."

"Then why can't you tell me what happened?"

Joey turned back to the frying pan with a soft groan. He started to dish up the mess of lumpy food. "I threw a computer at the wall."

There was a shocked pause, in which Serenity stared at her brother with an open-mouthed expression. "…You what?!"

Joey rubbed the back of his neck. "I just … kinda lost it. Couldn't get the scans to run right, and it kept cutting out on me…"

"So you _threw it at a wall_?!" Serenity shook her head. "Joey, that's not normal."

"I know." He sighed as he carried the plates over to the table. "Karin heard the crash and came running. I thought she was gonna fire me on the spot."

Serenity followed, her keen blue eyes trained on her brother. "You mean she didn't?"

"Nope. Said I had one more chance, on account of being her best consultant." Joey stabbed at his food with his fork. "She was pretty mad though."

"I'm not surprised." Serenity allowed them both to eat in silence for a while, thinking. It wasn't difficult to join up the dots in her head. Ever since the day in the park when Seto and Joey had fallen out, Joey hadn't been acting the same. His violent streak had come out a lot more. When things didn't go his way his first reaction had been to throw stuff around his room. If that was stretching to work, too, then Serenity knew she had to say something. She had seen him self-destruct before; she wasn't going to let it happen again.

"Joey." Serenity put down her fork.

Joey carried on eating. He didn't look at her.

"I know you're not going to like this, but … do you think this has to do with Mr. Kaiba?"

Joey flinched. Even hearing the name spoken out loud sent something strange rippling through him, his body reacting to his racing thoughts. Joey lifted his head to glare at his sister. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Serenity looked calmly back at him. "You won't solve anything by hiding."

"There's nothing to be solved," Joey muttered. "Kaiba's gone back to his life, and I can go back to mine. Whoopee."

Serenity shook her head. She would have smiled, if Joey hadn't looked so downtrodden. "You know it doesn't work like that."

"Leave it, sis, yeah?" Joey got to his feet and shoved his plate in the sink. He summoned up a smile from somewhere deep within himself, but his eyes remained flat. "I'll be fine."

Serenity watched him into his room with worry remaining close to her chest.

…

The days continued to stretch on. Joey mechanically went through the motions of his normal life – home, work, the Game Shop, work, Tristan, home. He even managed to summon up a smile, his attitude the same bouncy cheeriness he was known for. Joey did what he always did – he compensated for negative feelings by becoming extra positive.

Serenity wasn't alone in noticing his changed behaviour. On their regular meal out, Tristan eyed his best friend with something close to trepidation. Tristan had witnessed Joey go through some of the hardest times of his life – all through his father's abuse, and his time in the gang before they met Yugi and became better people – but it had been a long time since he had seen Joey like this. He leaned across the table to examine Joey, worried. "Hey, man, what's the matter with you?"

"Eh?" Joey met Tristan's question with his first form of defence – denial. "What are you on about?"

"Don't play me, Joey. Something's wrong." Tristan put down his burger in favour of pinning Joey with a stern stare.

Joey avoided looking at him. "Nothing. You're going mad."

"Stop it, Joey," Serenity cut in from her place beside him, her food untouched as she eyed her brother closely.

"Leave it, sis." That felt like it had become Joey's motto.

Serenity shook her head, determined. "If you don't tell him, I will."

"Go ahead." Joey remained stubborn as he took another savage bite out of his burger. "There's nothing to tell."

Tristan looked curiously at Serenity, who kept on staring at her brother. Eventually, when he failed to respond any further, she threw her hands in the air and turned back to Tristan. "It's Kaiba."

Tristan's jaw-drop made his shock evident.

Quickly, Serenity outlined what she and Mokuba had planned, and Seto's less-than-enthusiastic reaction. "And ever since then, Joey's been reacting like _this_."

Tristan slowly, slowly shook his head. He fixed Joey with a disbelieving stare. "…Of all the people in the world … _Kaiba_?!"

"Don't look at me like that!" Joey sputtered, flicking his fork at Tristan's head.

"But seriously, _Kaiba_?!"

Joey snarled. "It's nothing like Serenity made it out to be. She and Mokuba got the wrong end of the stick."

Tristan sent Serenity a stare, but she just widely shook her head, mouthing, _he doesn't believe it but it's true._

Tristan returned to glaring at Joey. " _Kaiba_?!"

Joey glared. "He really isn't that bad. Or he wasn't, before he went all freaked out on me."

"We can't be talking about the same guy." Tristan shook his head.

Joey, despite himself, smirked. "Pretty sure there's only one child genius running Kaiba Corp."

Tristan stubbornly folded his arms. "The guy who kidnapped Yugi's grandpa."

"That was a long time ago."

"The one who set his blue-eyes on you more times than I can count."

"Hey, I didn't lose that…"

"The one running the tournament that nearly got us all killed? _That_ Seto Kaiba?"

Joey glared at Tristan. "None of that was actually his fault."

"And now you're defending him!" Tristan clenched one hand into a fist.

Joey gritted his teeth. "I'm not defending him."

"Even by _your_ standards, this is a bad idea." Tristan shook his head and leaned back, glaring. "No wonder it blew up in your face."

"I don't know," Serenity interrupted, a soft look on her face. "Up until the festival, Joey looked happier than I'd seen him in a long time."

"Sis…"

"And Mokuba said his brother was happy, too." Serenity rested her chin on her palm glumly. "But we ruined everything by forcing them together too soon."

Joey was brought up short at that. He turned his head and laid a hand on Serenity's shoulder, a crease appearing in his brow. "Hey, sis, this isn't your fault."

"I'm sorry I dragged you to the festival that day, Joey." Serenity didn't look dissuaded. "If I hadn't, maybe none of this would have happened."

Joey shook his head. "Kaiba was an asshole because he's an asshole. That isn't your fault."

"That's the sanest thing you've said all day," Tristan muttered.

Serenity ignored Tristan in favour of looking back up at Joey, her blue eyes wide and holding confusion. "But why was he so rude to you at the fair? What did you actually say to him?"

"…Eh…" Joey scratched the back of his head, thinking back. "He was getting all angry at Mokuba … and then we found out that you and Mokuba had set us up … and I started laughing, and then he just flipped."

Serenity blinked. "You started laughing?"

"Well, yeah…"

"You started laughing because Mokuba and I had set you up?"

Joey frowned. "Yeah. What's your point, sis?"

"You idiot!" Serenity, in a very uncharacteristic act of violence, reached up and whacked him around the back of the head.

"Ow!" Joey winced, rubbing his sore scalp. "What was that for?!"

"You laughed!"

Joey scowled. "Well, yeah, it was pretty funny – I mean the idea that _Kaiba_ would ever be interested in _me…_?"

Serenity glared. "Idiot, Kaiba probably thought you were laughing at him!"

Joey blinked.

"No wonder he got mad!" Serenity shook her head. "You basically laughed in his face! He must have thought you'd never _willingly_ spend time with him."

"…Oh." Joey at least had the decency to look embarrassed. He rubbed at his forehead, thinking back to the look on Kaiba's face, the steely edge to his eyes. Now he thought about it, Kaiba had acted as if … he'd been _rejected_.

And then, Joey winced as he remembered the next part of the conversation.

He had brought up Seto's parents, and that was when Seto truly flipped. Well, Joey could imagine that well enough. If Seto ever mentioned Joey's father, or his mother taking Serenity away … well, Joey wouldn't have been responsible for his actions. Thing is, Seto didn't actually _know_ about Joey's situation. And Joey had no right to know about Seto's, either.

Joey winced again. "Ah, hell." He had made just about as much of a mess of things as was possible.

…

"Seto?"

Mokuba tentatively poked his head around the door to his brother's bedroom. He still looked a little sheepish – Seto had made it evidently clear to him that he should _never_ interfere with his brother's personal life ever again.

Seto looked up from where he was stretched out on the bed with a book.

"Um…" Mokuba moved a bit closer. "I wondered if I could borrow your old copy of the duelling magazine?"

Seto paused before jerking his head in a curt nod. "It's somewhere over there."

"Thanks." Mokuba turned to the neat stash of old editions piled in a corner of Seto's room, quietly beginning to rummage through them. Seto returned to his book.

"Seto?"

After a few minutes, Mokuba's voice sounded again, and when Seto looked up from his book he saw his younger brother hovering uncertainly in the doorway with magazine in hand. "I … really am sorry, you know."

Seto's eyes remained cool. "I know."

"It's just that I honestly thought you and Joey…"

"I know, Mokuba." Seto sat up just a little, and his expression softened minutely. "It isn't your fault Wheeler's a moron."

Mokuba managed a small smile. He moved over to perch on the end of Seto's bed, his dark eyes dimming a little. "…How did he know? About…"

Seto arched a brow. "About mum and dad?"

Mokuba nodded with a soft flinch.

"I don't know," Seto answered truthfully. "I certainly didn't tell him."

Mokuba clenched his hands together in his lap. "But no one knows…"

"I think he got it off my laptop," Seto explained calmly. "I had to give him my codes."

"…Oh." Mokuba wriggled a bit. "I suppose he could have come across it by accident…"

Seto chose not to comment. Mokuba had always been kinder than he.

"I don't suppose you've heard from him?" Mokuba's tone pitched up slightly.

Seto glanced up to see Mokuba's dark eyes looking straight at him. His long hair was pulled back behind his shoulders, and his features seemed to gain some of their determination again.

Seto shook his head. "Good riddance."

"I dunno…" Mokuba squared his shoulders. "You seemed to really enjoy his company before."

"Mokuba, you heard him. He laughed at the idea of you ever setting us up."

Mokuba blinked. "Wouldn't you have laughed, in his situation?"

Seto frowned. He turned away.

"…Or did you actually _want_ me to set you up?" Mokuba grinned, his eyes lighting up.

Seto one again declined to comment.

"Well, either way, I don't think you can really blame Joey for his reaction."

Seto paused. "What?"

"You're kinda scary, bro." Mokuba grinned.

Seto arched a brow. "So?"

" _So_ , Joey probably didn't expect you to _want_ to be set up with him."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "I never said I wanted that."

"You never said you didn't, either." Mokuba chuckled. "My point is, you aren't going to get any further unless you talk to him."

Seto turned back to his book. "Not going to happen."

Mokuba shook his head. He had learned better than to interfere, however, so he simply took his magazine and left.

…

Later that week, Joey sat in his office with his phone in his hand, battling himself.

His conversation with Serenity had been a bit of an eye-opener. He never realised that Seto could have taken his laughter as an insult – honestly, Joey had trouble believing that he featured large enough in Seto's life to even _cause_ hurt. But, apparently, he could. At least, with that explanation, all of Kaiba's behaviour did make sense.

And Joey knew he needed to apologise for peeking into Seto's personal file.

The trouble was, Joey had no idea how to go about it without getting his head bitten off. He had tried typing out drafts of various texts, but none of them got the tone quite right, and the last thing Joey needed was for Seto to misinterpret something he was saying. But that only left him with two other options – calling, or going to see Seto in person.

Frankly, both of those options terrified Joey.

A sudden call jerked Joey out of his thoughts. He pressed the button to receive it. "Lina tech support, how can I help?"

He lost himself back in his work for an hour or so, helping clear up various technology problems, until there was another lull in phone calls. Joey was once again left alone to his thoughts.

"Joey?" Karin strode into his office with a quick knock. He still owed her for not firing him the other week, when he lost his temper and threw a computer at the wall. This time, she held out a phone. "Customer just brought this in, can you take a look?"

"Sure." Joey reached out and took it, inspecting it closely. It looked like the headphone jack had busted, and the power button seemed a bit worse for the wear, too.

"How long do you reckon it'll take to fix?"

Joey shrugged. "Half an hour, tops."

Karin nodded. "I'll tell them to come back then." She tilted her head. "How're you doing?"

"Eh?" Joey blinked, glancing up from the phone. "Oh, I'm fine."

Karin narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you."

"I'm hurt!" Joey widened his eyes and pressed a hand to his chest.

Karin just barely cracked a smile. "Seriously, though. If you don't want to talk to me, talk to someone you trust."

Joey shrugged. "It's no biggie. I can deal."

"I'm ordering you – talk it through with someone." Karin glared at him. "Or you'll destroy something else before the week is out." She left his office with a flounce.

Joey sighed. His thoughts drifted back to the situation with Seto as he got to work repairing the phone – he had already tried talking it through with Serenity and Tristan, but neither of them had really helped. Serenity felt too guilty to offer any more advice, and Tristan thought that Joey was bonkers for even caring about Seto in the first place. The only other person who knew they'd been in touch was…

Yugi.

Joey frowned at that thought. He hadn't called his friend in Egypt over the past few weeks, not wanting to worry him, but if there was anyone who could possibly shed some light on this thing, it was him.

Once Joey had finished repairing the phone and handed it back to Karin, he asked if he could pop out to make a personal call.

Yugi picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Yug, it's me." Joey leaned in the back entrance of the small technology shop, back where all the smokers usually hung out.

"Joey?" Yugi's tone came with a smile. "Hey! How have you been?"

"Well…" Joey scratched the back of his head. "I actually wanted to ask your advice about something."

"Sure, anything."

Joey took a deep breath, coughed, scratched the top of his head, and then told Yugi everything. He started with how he and Seto had begun duelling – something Yugi already knew – and finished with his conversation with Tristan and Serenity earlier that week.

Yugi listened in silence, and when he was sure Joey was done, he responded, "Wow. That's quite a messy situation."

"Yeah, I know." Joey sighed.

"How do you feel about it?"

"Me?" Joey blinked. "Eh, I'm fine."

"But how do you feel about Kaiba? Do you miss having him around?"

"…I…" Joey didn't even need to think about that. Of course he did. He just didn't want to think about the implications of that feeling.

"Look, it seems to me like you just need to go and talk to him."

"…Yeah…" Joey hesitated. "…To be honest, Yug, I'm not sure I'd make it out alive."

"Was he that angry?"

"Madder than I've ever seen him."

"Hmm." Yugi thought for a moment. "Maybe call him, then."

"You think I should?"

"I think you're never going to be satisfied until you've spoken to him again. Even if it doesn't work out."

Joey snorted. "I'm not even sure if I _want_ it to 'work out' at this point."

Yugi gave a soft chuckle. "Either way, nothing more will happen unless you talk to him."

"Yeah, you're right." Joey groaned. "Thanks, Yug. Tristan thinks I'm completely insane whenever I bring this up with him."

"Well, I've always been a bit more forgiving than Tristan."

They spoke for a few more minutes before Joey hung up. He bounced his phone up and down in his palm, thinking things through. Yugi was right – he never would be satisfied until he had at least tried talking to Seto again.

Without further preamble, Joey called him.

It rang through to voicemail. _Bastard's probably in a meeting,_ Joey thought, checking his watch to see it was 15:20. He waited for the beep before beginning to speak, not having thought through his words at all.

"Hey, Set – ah, Kaiba. I come in peace. Don't hang up on me."

He paused, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Eh … look, I just wanted to apologise. For that stuff about your parents. I didn't mean to bring it up, I know I shouldn't have …. Eh, and I didn't mean to laugh at you either. I wasn't laughing at _you_ , understand, I was laughing at the idea of you ever wanting to spend time with me. Because, you know, I'm a mutt and all that."

Joey half-laughed. God, this was awkward.

"Anyway, I just … wanted to tell you that. So yeah. If you wanted to talk to me again, I guess – you could call? Or you know where I live. Just … I wouldn't be annoyed if you wanted to. Get in touch. Though you probably don't."

Joey cut himself off with a sigh. This was the worst message he had ever left in his life.

"Anyway … bye."

There. It was done now. Joey couldn't un-say it, no matter how Seto might take it.

At least he had done something.

 **Another long, kind of filler-y chapter in which nothing much happened, I'm sorry about that. The next one should be quite fluffy though, to make up for it. Thanks for reading, and thanks for all the lovely reviews, I really appreciate it! – Jem**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here we go again. Almost to the end! Just one more to go after this chapter, so it's almost over. Thanks for sticking with me, and especially for the lovely reviews. I hope you like the way it resolves – Jem**

 **Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is Kazuki Takahashi's, and he owns all the characters, so he deserves all the praise. This is logical.**

Seto didn't listen to Joey's message until 2:30 in the morning.

He registered that he _had_ a voicemail much earlier, when he first got out of the meeting which prevented him from picking up the call, but then he promptly forgot about it again. He was in the midst of key negotiations for the newest game they were developing, and so he didn't have time to sit and listen to it. Plus, it was his personal phone, so most likely just Mokuba whining about what they were having for dinner that evening.

Seto didn't remember it again until long past time he had been home. Mokuba was already asleep, and Seto himself was just preparing for bed in his room when he found his phone in his coat pocket again, still beeping with the unheard message.

By the time he was done listening, Seto was sitting on the edge of his bed and clutching his phone to his ear, his knuckles turning white. It felt far too good to hear Joey's voice again. Seto never thought he would be _pleased_ to hear that accented whine, but he couldn't deny the small jump of recognition in his stomach, or the warmth that spread through his pale flesh.

Damn Wheeler.

Seto deliberated for a while once the message was over. It did go some way to explaining Joey's reaction – Seto had never really understood the depths of Joey's lack of self-confidence. He was always strutting and parading about, but underneath, Seto was beginning to realise that Joey hid a deep-seated fear of worthlessness. One that Seto had probably added to over the years. Now, though, he saw that there was a great deal more to Joey than first met the eye.

Seto didn't delay any longer.

Joey's phone also rang through to voicemail. Seto supposed he shouldn't be surprised – it was rather late to be calling, but Seto didn't wait when he wanted something done. He cleared his throat once the message began recording. "Mutt. I got your message."

Now what?

"Uh … I accept your apology. And as for your other point, I don't know why you would find it funny that I could enjoy spending time with you. The opportunities for your humiliation are endless."

He cleared his throat again.

"And … I'm not indisposed to your company."

Pause.

"I suppose you're asleep right now. But if you wanted to return my call whenever you wake up, that would be acceptable."

And Seto hung up the phone. He closed his eyes and fell back against the pillow, unused to this weird swirling feeling that was currently attacking his stomach. He felt too warm, and even though he was tired, he couldn't settle to sleep. Instead, he stared up at his ceiling until dawn rolled around again.

…

Joey checked his phone first thing in the morning, and he felt an odd tingle of anticipation when it was flashing with a new voice message. He listened with a nervous grin. The relief that flooded through him when it was Seto's voice that answered was almost embarrassing.

And Seto didn't sound like he was going to kill him, either.

In fact, Seto sounded … pleasant. A little cordial, yes, a little formal, certainly, but pleasant all the same. Joey couldn't hold back a grin when he reached the end of the message. So Seto wasn't 'indisposed to his company'? Joey wasn't sure, but he had a hunch that was corporate speech for 'I like you'.

Although, that still held implications that Joey wasn't entirely sure he was ready to face.

Joey flopped down onto his back on his bed, eyeing his clock. 8:30. Good, he still had half an hour before he'd get yelled at for being late, which gave him enough time to think before he called back. He had to sort through his problems.

Namely – if Seto did like him, then how much?

And if it was more than just a friend liking a friend, then how would Joey himself react to that?

Joey's first reaction was still to burst into laughter, but after Seto's temper tantrum last time, he figured that probably wasn't the best idea in the world. Still, it was just so _weird_ to think that someone like Seto Kaiba could be interested in someone as stupid and worthless as Joey Wheeler. Not that Joey truly considered himself worthless, but he could be honest and say that he certainly paled in comparison to the likes of Kaiba. Joey knew his own good qualities – he was persistent and determined – but he was severely lacking in the area of genius.

Except, Kaiba's message had seemed to imply that he _did_ like Joey.

Joey swallowed. There had been a few times, yes, when he had caught a glimpse in Seto's eyes of some unreadable emotion – just a few moments when Seto's carefully constructed mask slipped. What if it was true? What if Seto _did_ like Joey?

His first instinct was that that wouldn't be a bad thing. No, it wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

In fact, Joey found himself feeling quite warm at just the thought.

With a soft smile playing about his lips, Joey scooped up his phone and dialled Seto's number. He held it idly to his ear, preparing to leave another message, although he still hadn't thought through exactly what he would say.

He was brought up short when there was a _click_ and Seto's voice answered. "Hello?"

Joey froze. "Set – ah – Kaiba! Ya picked up!"

Seto held back a smile. "I did."

Joey swallowed. Shit. Now what? He hadn't been mentally prepared to actually _speak_ to Kaiba when he called – an oversight he probably shouldn't have missed.

Silence reigned for a few minutes before Seto chuckled.

Actually chuckled.

"Seto is fine, by the way. Was there a particular reason you called?"

"…Eh…" Joey paused for another minute, his mind going completely blank.

"I presume you got my message," Seto finally prompted.

"Oh, yeah, yeah I did." Joey nodded. "You sent that crazy late."

"I was busy yesterday."

"I figured." Joey rubbed the back of his neck. "I sorta expected you to be busy today, too."

"I see." Seto's voice was smooth, but Joey could have sworn there was an amused edge to it. "So you were hoping to get my voicemail?"

"Well, kinda…" Joey paused. "Not in a bad way, or anything."

Seto snorted. Joey couldn't but grin at that sound.

"So, anyway…" Joey cast around for something to say. "…You're 'not indisposed to my company', eh?"

"Is that what I said?" Seto sounded calm still, which was surely a good sign.

"Yeah."

"Then that must have been what I meant."

Joey scoffed. "Your corporate speech is a bit too PC for me, Seto."

"Of course, I forgot I was dealing with a monkey-brained mutt."

"Will you stop with the insults already?" Joey rolled his eyes, settling himself a little more comfortably on the bed.

"You make it too easy."

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to know exactly what you meant by that." Joey licked his lips in the slight pause that followed. "You know – not being indisposed to my company, and all."

The pause stretched out for a little longer before Seto sighed. "It means … I don't mind having you around."

"…Oh." Joey didn't really know how to feel about that. "…Should I be flattered? Or…"

"It means that you were ludicrous for laughing in mine and Mokuba's face."

"…Oh." Joey scratched his head a little awkwardly. "…I am sorry about that. I didn't mean to offend ya, or nothing."

Seto remained silent.

Joey blew out a breath. "I honestly didn't think it _would_ upset you. It wasn't until Serenity told me that I even realised it could be rude."

"I expect nothing else from you, mutt." There was an almost warmth to Seto's tone, however. It was a warmth that Joey had missed, and his insides wriggled accordingly.

"Yeah, yeah, moneybags. Your laptop died again yet?"

"It's had a few wobbles."

Joey tutted. "I told ya to take proper care of her."

"And _I_ told _you_ not to get attached."

Joey gave a soft chuckle. "I can't help it – she's a beautiful machine."

There was another pause before Seto replied. "…Thank you."

"Ya welcome, Seto."

Another slightly awkward silence ensued before Seto cleared his throat again. "So. Can I ask you now?"

Joey raised a brow, his tone a little worried. "Ask me what?"

"Are you … indisposed to my company."

"Am I what?" Joey took a second for that to translate into language he understood. Then he blinked. "Oh. Um…"

There was another silence.

Joey sighed. "Look, I don't do corporate speech, Seto. If you wanna know my feelings, you're gonna have to deal with my language."

Another pause. Then: "Very well."

Shit. Now Joey had to actually think about what those feelings were. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, speaking softly into the phone. "I suppose … well … I don't know exactly what you were getting at earlier, but I'm taking it as you kinda liking me a bit. So, I can say that I sorta kinda like you too, moneybags."

Seto waited for a few moments before another of his chuckles crackled down the line. "I'm sorry, was that supposed to be any easier to understand?"

Joey felt his cheeks warming up a little. "Shut up."

Seto gave another small laugh. Joey had to admit, that was a very pleasant sound, and one he could get used to. "Well, I like you a little more than just kind of."

Joey gave a slow blink.

Well. He hadn't been expecting _that_.

"…Eh…" Joey eventually responded after realising he'd left the silence hanging a little too long. "Well … eh … that's good."

There was a rustle of clothing. "Indeed. Now, mutt, much as I enjoy sparring with you, I actually have a few meetings to attend."

"Right. O'course." Joey gave himself a little shake, trying to get his feet to land back on earth.

"However, I expect to continue this conversation later."

"…Yeah. Well, like I said before, you have my number, my work address, and my home address." Joey grinned suddenly. "You have no excuse to stay outta touch, Seto."

"Quite." It sounded like Seto was smiling, too. "Goodbye, mutt." There was a click, and the line went dead.

Joey sat for a few more minutes, a silly grin stretched across his face, before he realised he was late for work and had to sprint to get ready and make it in time. He was still twenty minutes late, but this time, he decided that the cause had been worth it.

Seto actually _liked_ him.

…

Seto found he spent most of the day with his thoughts straying back to Joey.

Their conversation that morning had put him in much higher spirits than normal, although he still didn't crack a smile. He didn't snap at his associates as much as he had in the past, however, and Kato even earned a polite nod when he popped his head around the door to inform Seto he was taking his lunch break. Seto turned back to his laptop, fingers tapping away absent-mindedly at the current coding for the new game. It was nearing completion, so the task allowed Seto's mind to wander back to Joey.

He wanted to talk to him again as soon as he could.

However, Seto wasn't entirely sure how to go about it. He could call into Joey's place of work again, as he had when Joey had his laptop – but that felt a bit public for this kind of conversation. Seto was no expert, but he was fairly sure it was best to take place behind closed doors, and without Joey's work colleagues listening in on every word.

He could call Joey again, but that felt too … impersonal. Plus, it was hard to gauge exactly what Joey was thinking. He tended to wear his emotions on his face, and as much as they still came through in his voice, Seto would prefer to judge him based on the display of his features rather than his nervous speech patterns.

Which only left going around to his house.

Seto remembered the address from the one time he had offered Joey a lift home, and so he knew it was possible. However, he was a little worried about appearing too forward. He had never been invited into Joey's home, and although Joey had jokingly mentioned Seto knowing his address, Seto wasn't sure that had been a serious invitation.

It seemed to be the best option, though.

So, as soon as he had finished work for the day, Seto found himself getting into his car and giving his driver Joey's address, rather than going straight home. To his credit, the driver made no comment other than, "Of course, Mr Kaiba," before the sleek car pulled away smoothly. Seto found himself having to hold back a smile at the memory of Joey pressing all the buttons when he had rode in here – it had shown Seto Joey's innocence, and it made him feel strangely … fuzzy.

Seto Kaiba did not do fuzzy.

The car wound its way on through the streets, and Seto drummed his fingers against the panelling of the car, his eyes looking out of the window without really seeing anything. His thoughts were all on Joey. He wondered how the blond would react when he opened the door to find Seto waiting on the doorstep – although, after their phone call this morning, Seto hoped he was at least expecting _something_. A look of surprise could be quite appealing, though.

It was 9:30 by the time the car pulled to a stop outside the same apartment building Seto remembered. He stepped out, bringing his briefcase with him, and thanked the driver.

"Want me to wait, Mr Kaiba?"

Seto shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary, thank you." He straightened, watching the car out of sight before he turned to face the apartment building.

It certainly looked … poor. Nothing like what Seto was accustomed to. He realised that he had never actually asked Joey about his financial situation, though it had always been fairly obvious that he was not one of the richest. He remembered Joey mentioning something about living with his sister after moving out of their parents', or something, but he was a little hazy on the details.

It also wasn't on the forefront of his mind just then.

As Seto approached the door, he realised he actually didn't have a clue which apartment Joey lived in. He scanned the list of names on the buzzers, pursing his lips, before he caught one that looked like it might say 'Wheeler'. Ah well, he supposed he had nothing to lose at this point.

There was a click after a few minutes of pressing the buzzer. Seto was relieved when Joey's familiar voice crackled through the speakers. "Hello?"

"It's me, mutt."

Seto allowed himself a smile when there was a shocked kind of splutter from the speakers. "Seto?"

"You _did_ say I had no excuse not to talk to you."

"Yeah, I … I did say that, huh?" Joey chuckled, and then there was the sounds of quiet rustling. "Just gimme three seconds and I'll let you in."

"I'll be counting."

The line clicked again, and then silence ensued. Seto stared aimlessly around the pavement for a while, glad that there was no one else around on the street to see the CEO of Kaiba Corp. just randomly stood on someone's doorstep. Perhaps he should call first next time.

Meanwhile, up in the apartment, Joey was quickly floundering around to make the place as presentable as he could. For all his joking, it hadn't properly occurred to Joey that Seto might _actually_ turn up at his doorstep, and so, he hadn't given much thought to the apartment's cleanliness. There were mounds of dirty dishes piled in the kitchen sink, endless reams of laundry – both his and Serenity's, for neither sibling was especially tidy – covered the living room, and he had piles of games and books and magazines just strewn about the place.

There wasn't much Joey could do other than cover the worst of it with a blanket.

"Hey, Serenity," Joey yelled, "Stay in your room, I've got a guest."

"Sure thing, Joey!" Serenity called back. She had guessed from the conversation on the intercom who it might be, so she wished him luck before disappearing behind her bedroom door for the night.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Joey brushed down his jeans before pressing the button to let Seto up.

A knock sounded at the door a few minutes later, and Joey pulled it open to reveal Seto looking just the same as always. Same long white coat, same spiked brown hair, and same piercing blue gaze that pinned Joey in place. However, unlike the last time Joey had seen him, his expression was a little softened rather than frozen in place by anger.

Joey rubbed the back of his head. "Eh … hi."

Seto smiled briefly. "Hi."

Joey stepped aside, showing Seto into his small apartment. The door led straight into the living room, with just a tiny kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms leading off it. Seto surveyed the mess with a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "And I thought your office was bad."

"I warned ya I was messy." Joey led him to the couch where, after pushing off two DVD discs, a games console, and three remotes, they were both able to sit. Joey scratched his head again. "You want a drink, or anything…?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Right." Joey shifted a bit awkwardly. He glanced up at Seto again to find those blue eyes still trained on him, but rather than their usual steely gaze, there was a warmth behind them this time. It was a warmth Joey had missed, and it sent tingles running through his veins.

Seto crossed his legs. "I assume you're wondering why I'm here."

Joey grinned. "Just a bit, yeah. Although I know you wanted to talk."

Seto nodded slowly. He kept his gaze trained on Joey's face. "Did you mean what you said this morning?"

"Eh … which bit?"

"You know very well which bit."

Joey grinned again, shifting to look up at the ceiling. He was pretty sure he knew what Seto was getting at, but admitting it in person was even more difficult than it had been over the phone. He swallowed. "…Ah…"

Suddenly, a hand lightly brushed Joey's cheek. He jumped, turning his head to see Seto still gazing at him, one hand gently caressing the side of Joey's face. Seto leaned in a little, and Joey felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Did you mean it?" Seto asked again, his eyes boring into Joey's own.

Joey licked his lips. He jerked his head in a nod.

Seto's lips twitched. "Not good enough. I want to hear you actually _say_ it."

Joey grimaced slightly. "I said it this morning – isn't that enough?"

Seto simply shook his head, and he allowed himself to fully smirk. Joey felt a full shiver slide down his spine at that expression – oh, now that wasn't fair.

Joey frowned, scowled, and then suddenly lunged for Seto, grasping both his cheeks in his hands. Seto's eyes widened momentarily, but he didn't have time to react properly as Joey growled, "I like you, you idiot," and then pressed their lips together.

The kiss was quick, forceful, and more heated than Joey had imagined. Seto's lips were soft, his hand warm as it moved up Joey's arm, fingers gripping firmly onto his elbow. It didn't take long for the element of surprise to disappear, and once Seto had regained himself, he returned the kiss with equal force as Joey. Joey felt himself falling back slightly, and Seto moved with him, leaning over him. Arms encircled Joey's back to keep him secure and Seto's scent was everywhere, filling his senses with the clean, enticing nature Joey had come to recognise as his.

They broke apart gently. Joey opened his eyes – when had he closed them? – to find Seto still looking at him with those piercing blue eyes, but now there was just a hint of pink at his cheeks. Joey grinned and swiped his thumb gently against Seto's soft, pale skin. It was warmer than he had imagined. "Good enough for you?"

Seto tilted his head into Joey's touch and smirked back. "Almost."

"Almost…?" Joey's indignant response was cut off by another kiss, this one slower, more prepared than the last. Seto's tongue clearly knew what it was doing as it sought out Joey's, his arms firmly holding them together. Joey slid his hands down Seto's chest in response, feeling the planes of his lean body underneath his close black shirt.

Seto pulled back with the hint of a smirk, and a wicked gleam to his eyes. His hand inched for the hem of Joey's top.

Joey caught his wrist with a smirk to rival one of Seto's own. "Hang on."

"What?" Seto almost sounded impatient.

Joey's mouth stretched into a grin. "You haven't said what you think about me."

Seto shook his head, a smirk still tugging at one corner of his mouth. "Actions are better, don't you think?"

"Almost."

Seto chuckled. "Then your company is not intolerable to me."

Joey rolled his eyes and lightly whacked Seto's head. "Non-corporate speak for the monkey, remember."

"Fine." Seto's smirk twitched, fell, and then lifted into a genuine smile. He lightly touched Joey's cheek. "I like you too."

Then he pressed their lips together into a kiss again, and this time, Joey didn't complain.

 **Ok, we're almost at the end. Just one chapter left! Also (in case you hadn't gathered by now) I won't be writing any smut – I'm not a fan of it personally. So it'll all be fluff. Hope you like this so far, and next chapter should be out soon – Jem**


	10. Chapter 10

**And we have arrived at the final chapter! I hope I've done this story justice. It's only a simple tale about them getting together, it isn't meant to be taken too seriously. I've enjoyed writing it, and thank you to those of you who have stuck with me so far – Jem**

 **Disclaimer: For the last time (in this story at least): Yu-Gi-Oh! and its characters are not mine. Worship Kazuki Takashi, he-who-made-them.**

The next morning, Joey woke up with another warm body in his bed.

It took him a few minutes to run over the happenings of the night before, but then Joey remembered exactly who it was that was sharing his bed. He turned his face up to see Seto's eyes were still closed, his hair falling flat around his face rather than spiking up in its usual daytime fashion. The way it fell over his features made Seto look younger.

Joey gently lifted a finger to brush Seto's cheek. It still amazed him, how warm Seto's skin was in comparison to the iciness of his glare and exterior personality. Joey was coming to realise that was just a mask, though – a mask he showed the world that fell apart when he slept.

Seto shifted just a little, leaning towards the touch on his cheek, and then his eyes slid open. They met Joey's brown gaze and, after a moment, Seto's lips stretched into a smile.

Joey grinned back. "Hey."

"Hello."

Joey wriggled a little until he was settled more comfortably against Seto's chest. He propped his chin on one hand and thumbed lightly over Seto's cheek. "You stayed in my bed last night."

"Really?" Sarcasm dripped from Seto's tone and he exaggeratedly turned his head to survey the room. "That had escaped my notice."

Joey whacked his chest lightly. "Hey. I could'a kicked you out, ya know."

"You wouldn't have." Seto's tone was supremely arrogant again, and he captured Joey's lips in a kiss to stop him from arguing again.

Joey gave a muffled squeak.

Seto pulled away with a tiny grin before glancing back at the room. It was small, with Joey's characteristic mess spattered everywhere and leaving very little floor space. Seto eyed the collection of underwear that seemed to be piled up next to a collection of DVDs, some old crisp packets, and various broken bits of technology. He shook his head. "Do I need to bring you another bag?"

Joey snorted, remembering the way Seto had watched him clean up his office what felt like so long ago. "I'm starting to wonder if you just wanna see me doing that."

"Mm. It might be that." Seto flicked him an impassive stare. "I can't deny you looked appealing."

"Oho!" Joey arched a brow, a wide grin spreading across his face again. "So even back _then_ ya found me appealing."

Seto declined to comment.

Joey snickered, laying his head down on Seto's chest. "Either way, my room is staying just the way it is."

Seto wrinkled his nose. "How can you live in such a pigsty?"

"I didn't hear ya complaining last night."

"Last night, I had other things on my mind." Seto tightened an arm around Joey's shoulders and buried his face in his mass of blond hair.

Joey wriggled with a happy sigh. He pressed his face into the nape of Seto's neck and closed his eyes, simply breathing in Seto's scent for a while. He enjoyed being this close to him even more than he had imagined.

Seto moved his face just enough to be able to speak. "A room the state of this would be burned down in my house."

Joey grinned. "House? I always believed 'mansion' would be more fitting."

"Same difference." Seto shrugged before eyeing Joey with a small smirk. "Besides, you've never seen it."

"True," Joey acquiesced. "For all I know, you could live in a tiny puppeteer van in the centre of the park."

Seto went quiet before his chest rumbled with low laughter. "Puppeteer?"

"First thing that sprang to my mind," Joey shrugged with a sheepish grin.

Seto merely shook his head, nosing affectionately at Joey's hair. "You have some strange thoughts, mutt."

"Watch it, moneybags." Joey's insult was half-hearted as he leaned into Seto's touch. "Assuming that it is a mansion, bet'cha you don't keep it clean yourself."

"…Hiring people counts."

Joey snorted, nestling into Seto's chest. "Hate to break it to ya, Seto, but it doesn't."

"Maybe not in your world."

Joey shook his head. "You're actually quite useless, aren't ya?"

Seto's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ya know, you're pretty terrible with your laptop, and ya can't even cook or clean for yourself…"

"Careful, Wheeler. I'm not above hitting you."

Joey grinned. He twisted his head up to meet Seto's eyes, his stomach giving a little flip at the warmth held within them. "Just because some of us actually do our own cleaning up."

Seto glanced once again at the messy room. "Yes. There is so much evidence of that."

Joey snorted. "More than your place, I bet."

"Then you bet wrong."

"I'm not taking your word for that."

"You could always come and see for yourself," Seto responded calmly.

Joey blinked. Then he grinned. "Are ya inviting me to ya big-shot mansion?"

"I think it would be appropriate at this stage, yes."

Joey's grin widened until he caught sight of the time blaring out from his clock. "Eh, much as I'd love to, I should be at work in twenty minutes."

"Call in sick."

Joey was genuinely shocked. Not at the prospect of pulling a sickie – he'd done that many times before – but at the suggestion coming from _Seto_ , of all people.

Seto caught his expression and smirked. "What, didn't you think I knew about that?"

"I just never expected _you_ to suggest such a thing."

"I run a business with thousands of employees," Seto reminded him dryly. "I've heard just about every excuse for a day off in the book."

"Good point." Joey grinned, rolling so that he could look down into Kaiba's eyes. "So if I take a day off, does that mean you will, too?"

"I'm sure my workers could handle things for one day."

Joey grinned. "Never thought I'd get the great _Seto Kaiba_ to skive."

Seto pointedly tightened his grip around Joey's waist. "I'm too comfortable to move right now."

Joey wriggled again, his brown eyes warm as he leaned down to give Seto another kiss.

…

Needless to say, they both called in sick. After a few more hours of lounging around in bed, Joey's rumbling stomach eventually dragged them both up and dressed and out into the kitchen. Seto was surprised to see that Joey hadn't been lying about his cooking – even if he was a bit messy about it.

Serenity appeared briefly on her way to school, and her eyes widened when she saw their house guest. Having heard so much about him, she hadn't actually seen Seto Kaiba since he was the host of the Battle City tournament. She coughed. "Oh, um … hi."

Seto regarded her coolly.

Joey gave Seto's shoulder a whack before he crossed to Serenity's side and pulled her into a hug. "Don't mind him, sis, he's grumpy with everyone."

"Grumpy?" Seto protested mildly.

"Don't deny it, Seto, ya know that's what ya are."

Serenity had actually giggled a bit at that. She managed to send Kaiba a smile and a wave as she was leaving the house, her school uniform wrapped tight around her as she headed out into the cold.

Seto watched her leave with a slight frown. "Didn't your sister have eyesight problems?"

"Yep." Joey nodded as he finally finished making them both breakfast. "She's fine now, though. Yug gave me the Duellist Kingdom prize money to pay for her operation."

Seto nodded briefly. "I thought it might have been something like that."

After they had eaten, Seto called his driver to pick them both up and take them back to Kaiba's mansion. Thankfully, the driver knew better than to comment on the addition of Joey in the back seat. It only took a few minutes before Seto leaned over to give Joey another kiss, anyway, and then it became apparent exactly what their relationship was.

Joey gave a low whistle as the car pulled up to the giant gates of the Kaiba mansion. It was even bigger than he had imagined, the long drive twisting and turning, lined with trees and greenery that glistened in the dappled sunlight. "Man, I knew you were rich, but I didn't know you were _that_ rich."

Seto idly ran a hand through Joey's hair. "You sound surprised."

"I am. Though at least ya know I'm not just after ya for your money."

The car pulled up to the front door and Seto stepped out, taking Joey's hand to lead him inside. The entrance to the mansion was vast and far more ornamental than anything Joey had seen before. He thought he could pick out elements of Seto's taste – the black and white colour scheme, the occasional splashes of blue – and a few multicolours, probably down to Mokuba.

Joey whistled again. "Alright, it's cleaner than my place."

"Told you." Seto sounded smug.

Joey span to face him with a mock-glare, wagging a finger in his direction. "But I told ya, doesn't count if you hire people."

"You're just making that rule up."

"Naa, pretty sure you'll find it's true."

Seto shook his head, a soft smile playing about his lips. He took Joey's hand and led him on down the hallway. There were several rooms dotted about the place, everything in perfectly neat order. It wasn't until they reached Seto's study that Joey slowed down.

There was a picture on Seto's desk. It included a woman Joey recognised, and a man he was sure he'd never seen before. Joey tilted his head at it with a frown. "Who are they?"

"Hm?" Seto put down his book and crossed to Joey's side, glancing at the photo. He turned away with a barely perceptible wince. "Oh. They're my birth parents."

"…Oh." Joey quickly put the photo down. That explained why the photo was familiar – he had seen her before, in the file he should never have looked at on Seto's laptop. Joey licked his lips. "I … honestly am sorry. For looking at your file."

Seto turned his head to send Joey a piercing blue gaze. "Ah. So that _is_ how you found out."

He nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "I was checking to see if your files had recovered properly."

"Hmm." Seto took a seat on the couch in a corner of the room and crossed his legs. "You must have scrolled through quite a bit to find out how they died."

Joey winced slightly. "Eh … yeah, a fair bit, I guess. Sorry."

Seto waved a hand. "You're mostly forgiven." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Just don't tell Mokuba you've seen his baby pictures."

Joey allowed himself a grin. "Don't tell Mokuba, sure, but can I at least gloat to you about how cute you were as a child?"

Seto fixed him with a piercing stare.

"Seriously." Joey crossed to sit next to Seto and patted him on the head, chuckling. "You were adorable."

"As I said – I'm not above hitting you."

Joey rolled his eyes.

Seto pursed his lips in thought, a slightly wicked gleam tinting his blue eyes. He tucked a strand of Joey's hair behind his ear. "As you've seen mine, it's only fair you show me yours," he purred into Joey's ear.

Joey twitched. "…'S'cuse me?"

"Baby pictures." Seto was smirking again. "It's only right that I should see yours now."

"…Ah." Joey grimaced. "Slight problem there."

"Oh?"

"There at my dad's."

Seto paused for a moment. "…I'm guessing that would be a problem."

Joey snorted. "Understatement of the century there, Seto."

Seto tilted his head. He grasped Joey's chin and turned him to face him, his expression quizzical. "Explain."

Joey shrugged. "We don't get on, that's all."

"But why?" Seto pressed. Ordinarily, he wouldn't push on a topic that made Joey uncomfortable, but, well … he was curious.

"We just are."

"Not good enough, Joey."

Joey rolled his eyes and leaned forwards, tugging out of Seto's grip. He placed his elbows on his knees and blew out a sigh. "Dad used to hit."

Seto went very quiet.

"Mum took Serenity away when she was very little – to keep her out of danger, y'know?"

"…And you?" Seto asked. His tone remained even.

Joey squared his shoulders. "Stayed at dad's. Didn't want to, but I did."

Wordlessly, Seto wrapped an arm around him and gave a firm squeeze to his shoulder. Joey leaned against him, although his eyes remained hard. "So yeah. We're not on the best of terms since I moved out."

"I can imagine."

Joey grinned. "Yeah. He wasn't best pleased to see me go. Kicked up a right fuss – I almost felt guilty."

Seto snorted. "You only moved across the city."

"That's still kinda a big deal."

"Joey, I blew up an entire island to eradicate my adoptive father from the face of the earth."

"…You make a fair point." Joey grinned, leaning into Kaiba's side. "I almost forgot about all that Noah shit."

Seto tensed. It was the tiniest of movements, barely perceptible, but Joey noticed it. Delicately, he dropped that topic.

…

That evening, Mokuba came home to find Seto and Joey sprawled out together on the couch in the living room. The remnants of various video games lay sprawled out around them – evidence of Joey's mess was already creeping into the place – but now the two had settled down in front of a film. That is to say, Joey was watching the film. Seto was lying with his head resting on Joey's lap, a book held open in front of his face.

Mokuba leaned in the doorway with a grin. "You finally sorted things out, then?"

Joey gave a violent jump, almost dislodging Seto. Seto sat up slightly and sent his younger brother a glare. "Mokuba, it's rude to interrupt."

"It's also rude to stay out all night without telling your younger brother where you are." Mokuba stuck his tongue out.

Seto and Joey exchanged a look. Joey lifted his hands. "Hey, don't blame me. I didn't force ya to show up."

Seto rolled his eyes before turning back to face Mokuba. "I'll call next time."

"Whatever." Mokuba grinned at them both, trotting over to sit in one of the armchairs. "Serenity's gone home by the way, Joey. She said not to worry about feeding her because Tristan offered to take her out for a meal."

"He WHAT?! Joey sat up suddenly, dislodging Seto once again.

Seto made a discontented noise. "Stop fidgeting."

"Run that by me again, Mokuba. Tristan's taking my little sister _where_?!"

Mokuba shrugged, arching a brow at Joey's reaction. "Just out to eat – she didn't say where."

Joey cracked his knuckles. "Wait 'til I get my hands on…"

"Stop." Seto reached out to grip his hands, sending Joey a calming blue stare.

Joey glared back.

Seto rolled his eyes. "Your sister is 17 and she knows Tristan, correct?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Now stop fidgeting." Seto settled himself back down again, once more resting his head on Joey's lap.

Joey continued to mutter.

"What're you watching, Joey?" Mokuba interrupted, casting an interested look at the screen. He attempted to switch attention off Serenity and back to the situation at hand.

"Eh?" Joey rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, I'm not sure … something about ghosts, I think."

"Oh, that's cool." Mokuba grinned. "Seto never normally stays to watch things with me. You'll have to stay more often."

Joey glanced down at Seto, his brown eyes sparkling. "'Course. Got to make sure your brother does his duty right."

Seto calmly reached up and cuffed Joey around the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"I warned you I wasn't above hitting."

Joey rolled his eyes, but settled back comfortably enough. Shortly, his hand began to run lightly through Seto's brown hair. Seto's eyes closed in contentment and he relaxed fully, the book falling from his hands. Joey picked it up, placed it on the table, and then settled back down to cradle Seto close to him.

It didn't take long for both of them to fall asleep, and Mokuba slipped quietly out of the room to leave them to it.

 **Lame ending is lame. Sorry.**

 **So there you have it – and end to my first ever puppyshipping fic. I hope I did ok and they aren't all horrifically out of character. Thanks so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited, or followed (or some or all of the above) – I am truly honoured to have your support.**

 **Thank you for sticking with me, and congrats for making it to the end! - Jem**


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